Why It Matters: State wildlife agencies have a responsibility to protect access to public hunting lands and fishing access points, but not all states are mandated by statute. Hunting Heritage Protection Acts, or “No-Net-Loss,” ensure that, if public land used for hunting and fishing is ever sold or used for some other purpose, equal or better lands will be acquired to maintain the level of public access for hunters and anglers.
Highlights:
- Urbanization of populations means fewer individuals have access to private hunting property.
- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have forms of “No-Net-Loss” policies in the Northeast.
- Currently, New York offers over four million acres of public land for hunting whereas Rhode Island has well under 100,000 acres, but both lack “No-Net-Loss” protections.
- Over the years, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) has estimated fluctuating percentages that between 30 to 40 percent of hunters use public land, which varies significantly depending on what part of the country you are in.
In 2004, at the inaugural National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Annual Sportsman – Legislator Summit, “No-Net-Loss” was identified as a necessary policy for states to adopt. Due to this, sportsmen’s legislative caucuses in Tennessee and Virginia led some of the first legislatures to pass new “No-Net-Loss” policies by 2007. As recently as 2022 and 2023, Massachusetts and Connecticut passed protections for public land access. Connecticut Public Act No. 09-173 explicitly sets a minimum amount of public land accessible for hunting.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is working with legislators, the sportsmen caucuses, partners and state agencies in both New York and Rhode Island to mirror neighboring states’ efforts in protecting public access for hunters and anglers. Since 1971, Rhode Island has expressly been protecting freshwater and coastal wetlands “for the benefit of the public,” however public land used for hunting does not currently have the same protections for the public’s use. New York state, despite various efforts that attempt to protect lands and waters, requires a meaningful policy towards those protections with achievable goals.
Although both New York and Rhode Island have these specific programs for conservation, neither state specifically addresses protections of maintaining public land that is currently usable for the purpose of hunting and fishing. Sportsmen and women, who are the financial driving force of state wildlife agencies and their conservation efforts through the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), should be assured that the public lands protected by their efforts should be usable by them for the purpose of hunting and fishing in perpetuity.
“No-Net-Loss” sets an achievable goal for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM). Current initiatives set an incredibly high bar for state agencies without considering the resources needed and available for appropriate scientific wildlife and land management. New York and Rhode Island have an opportunity to work with CSF and other state partners in the coming 2026 legislative session to adopt a “No-Net-Loss” policy and protect public hunting lands and fishing waterways for sportsmen and women’s use.
Related Policy
Summary “No-Net-Loss” of public lands has become increasingly important to ensure access to public lands...
