Why it Matters: Arguably the most important access program in the Farm Bill for sportsmen and women, the Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) has expanded public access to roughly a million acres of private lands across the nation. As one of the few Conservation Title programs that does not receive baseline funding, VPA-HIP could be at risk as the next Farm Bill is debated. Fortunately, thanks to the leadership of Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) leaders and members in both chambers, efforts are underway to not only protect VPA-HIP, but to increase federal investments in this critical program.
Highlights:
- Last week, former CSC Leader Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and CSC Member Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced the bipartisan Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act of 2023 in the House of Representatives.
- This introduction follows the bill’s bipartisan introduction in the Senate by CSC Members Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and CSC Vice-Chair Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS).
- The VPA Improvement Act of 2023 seeks to not only renew the program, but to increase investments in VPA-HIP from the $50 million authorization level in 2018 to $150 million over the life of the next Farm Bill, a top Farm Bill ask for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
While every program authorized under the Farm Bill’s Conservation Title provides benefits to fish and wildlife, no program provides as direct a benefit for sportsmen and women as VPA-HIP. By providing state fish and wildlife agencies with the resources needed to partner with landowners who voluntarily agree to open their property for public hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation, VPA-HIP is helping address one of the most limiting factors facing sportsmen and women in America today – access.
Despite the resounding success, and a strong reported return on investment generated by the program, VPA-HIP is one of a few Conservation Title programs that does not receive baseline funding in the Farm Bill. Unlike baseline programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and others, VPA-HIP requires additional investments to ensure its continued authorization. Fortunately for the sportsmen and wildlife supported by VPA-HIP, support for the program remains strong among the sporting-conservation community and within the halls of Congress.
Following the introduction of the bipartisan VPA Improvement Act of 2023 in the Senate by CSC Member Senators Daines and Bennet and CSC Vice-Chair Senator Marshall in April, former CSC Leader Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and CSC Member Dusty Johnson recently introduced the bipartisan companion in the House. Each of these bills seek to increase federal investments in VPA-HIP, raising funding from the $50 million authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill, to $150 million over the life of the next Farm Bill. This investment was specifically requested by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and many of our partners in the sporting-conservation community as we seek to secure robust investments for conservation in the next Farm Bill.
