Legislation would triple funding for VPA-HIP in the next farm bill
February 25, 2025 – Washington, D.C. – Today, the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act was reintroduced to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) are leading the reintroduction in the House, while Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) are sponsors in the Senate. The bill, touted by conservation groups as a critical investment for the future of hunting and fishing in America, would strengthen the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) – a popular component within the federal Farm Bill helping to create public access for hunting and fishing on private lands.
VPA-HIP offers competitive grants to states and tribal governments to be used as incentives for private landowners to voluntarily open their lands for public recreation, while upholding private property rights. The VPA Improvement Act would reauthorize VPA-HIP and increase funding from $50 million to $150 million over five years.
“There are dozens of state programs throughout country that help open public hunting access on private lands, but one common thread is that VPA-HIP is the unsung hero that makes much of that access possible,” said Ariel Wiegard, vice president of government affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “The economic returns for rural communities in VPA-HIP have been shown many times over, and increasing funding for the program is one of our top priorities in the next farm bill. Access is at the core of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s mission, and we thank Representatives Dingell and Johnson and Senators Daines, Bennet, and Marshall for their leadership and support for this very successful program.”
More than 70 percent of the lower 48 states is privately owned, which creates a barrier for the recruitment, retention and reactivation of America’s sportsmen and women. VPA-HIP helps address this issue by opening a significant number of access opportunities on private land, while simultaneously contributing to habitat conservation efforts.
The program is widely recognized by hunters at the state level, influencing well-known access initiatives such as Nebraska’s Open Fields and Waters (OFW) Program, Iowa’s Habitat and Access Program (IHAP), and Kansas’ Walk-in Hunting Access program, among others. Read our blog to learn more about how VPA-HIP positively impacts public access for hunters and anglers.
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 480,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000 habitat projects benefiting 28.8 million acres.
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