Daines seeks money to increase public access to private land

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is looking to boost outdoor recreation funds aimed at increasing access to private lands through federal dollars.

The Montana Republican, alongside U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., reintroduced the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act of 2023 at the beginning of April. The act would reauthorize and strengthen the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program by increasing its funding from $50 million to $150 million over five years.

“This bipartisan bill will strengthen Montana’s outdoor recreation economy and open up more space for families and sportsmen to enjoy local wildlife for generations to come,” Daines said in a statement.

The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program provides competitive grants to states and tribal governments to incentivize private landowners to open their lands for public use while maintaining private property rights, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In 2013, the original funding for the program was set at $40 million; in 2018, Daines introduced a similar bill that bumped it to $50 million. This most recent effort would triple that amount. The funding will be awarded to programs that either help secure more access or improve habitat.

The Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act of 2023 would be wrapped into the 2023 Farm Bill, an omnibus bill that contains funding for a multitude of programs from conservation to dairy margin coverage to ownership loans. The senators are pushing to increase the bill’s funding for outdoor recreation as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., reassess the Farm Bill for the first time in five years.

“The Farm Bill is probably more important to hunters and anglers than they realize,” said Jim Vashro, the president of Flathead Wildlife, Inc. According to Vashro, previous funding has already allowed for 60,000 acres of land in Montana to become open to public access.

Frank Szollosi, the executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation, echoed Vashro. Szollosi said that, if it passes, it would be the biggest infusion of money into outdoor recreation since Habitat Montana was founded in the 1980s.

“We’re really pleased with Sen. Daines,” Szollosi said.

Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks was awarded $1.6 million by the program in 2020 for access and habitat undertakings with private landowners. That money helped open 31,000 acres of land to public access in the state and funded restoration efforts on 13,000 acres, according to Greg Lemon, the head of communication and education for the wildlife agency “We use this money; it’s an important part of our programs,” Lemon said.

According to Daines’ office, funding for the program will come from dollars already slated for use in the Farm Bill.

“As a lifelong sportsman, I grew up hunting, fishing and backpacking and it’s a family tradition that I’ll pass down to my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. It’s all part of our Montana way of life,” Daines said in a press release announcing the effort.