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As more land becomes "pay to hunt" we would all like to see a bigger push for private landowners
to keep their lands open for non-lease hunting and see the State do more to keep lands open for hunting.
In reality, New York has lost thousands of acres of property throughout the State that were
once in Cooperatives that have been taken out of those co-ops by landowners who were lured away by
big money for hunting rights. Depending on where you live, you may or may not be aware of that.
New York has a relatively new public access program which went in to affect in 2002 named the Habitat
& Access Stamp Fund. This new program is aimed at increasing sportsman activities on private lands.
In addition, there is pending Federal Legislation to provide additional funding to States with access programs
named the Voluntary Public Access Program. It has been presented to Congress twice but failed to get
through. It is still active though and will be presented to Congress again in the future.
The Habitat & Access Stamp program and Voluntary Public Access Program both have their pros and cons.
Neither program will likely provide substantial amounts of new hunting opportunities but something is better
than nothing. The more support these programs get the more likely these programs will be upgraded and/or new
programs will be spawned from them. Each program is detailed below with more information on how you
can get involved.
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New York's Habitat & Access Stamp Funding Program
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The Habitat and Access Stamp can be purchased annually for $5.00. Proceeds go to a land management
program that provides funding (up to $15,000.00) to landowners who wish to increase wildlife habitat
on their properties or make their land publicly accessible for outdoor recreation.
Click Here to Learn More
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Federal Bill - Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program
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This is a Federal bill that has yet to pass but is still alive. The bill, also referred to as the Open Fields Bill,
will provide additional funding to
State's that have public access programs in place. It will likely be presented to Congress
again in the 111th Congress which begins on January 3, 2009. That's a long time in the future but a lot
of time for the Bill to gain more support.
Click Here to Learn More
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