Enjoy access to Idaho hunting and fishing? A looming deadline could see it diminish

Many of you have probably not heard of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). It’s not a subject that gets a lot of press even though it’s been around for more than 50 years. But, the fruits of the LWCF are all around us.

The local parks you take your children to may be the product of LWCF funding.

That boat slip at your state park may be the product of LWCF funding.

And, the continued access to Idaho’s beautiful public lands may be the product of LWCF funding.

Sept. 22 is our nation’s 46th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD). As co-chairs of the Idaho State Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and as members of the 48-state National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, we are proud to celebrate the time-honored traditions of hunting and angling. This is also the perfect time to talk about the LWCF.

Since 1964, Idaho has received nearly $300 million from the fund. Unfortunately, we find ourselves up against a deadline to renew this program. Unless our federal legislators act now, the LWCF will expire on Sept. 30. That’s why we are urging our state’s congressional leaders to ensure that critical sportsmen’s access provisions in the LWCF are reauthorized before it expires. The LWCF is a program created by Congress with bipartisan support that utilizes revenues collected from offshore energy leases to fund the acquisition of lands and waters to enhance outdoor recreational access for the general public.

Approximately 9.5 million acres of public lands in the West are landlocked, meaning they are not accessible to hunters, anglers and others. In Idaho, approximately 208,000 acres are landlocked.

We have an excellent opportunity to fix some of these access issues with the inclusion of Making Public Lands Public (MPLP) provisions in LWCF reauthorization legislation. For example, members of the House Natural Resource Committee recently agreed to include a provision that would direct millions of dollars to efforts that would allow public land managers to work with willing landowners to increase access to hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.

Idaho’s hunters and anglers are the primary source of conservation funding for our state. They generated $57.3 million last year in license and tag fees and excise taxes to help fund state-based fish and wildlife conservation. Hunting and angling are also a significant economic driver for our state. Idaho’s sportsmen and women spend over $1 billion per year on outdoor pursuits, supporting over 15,200 jobs and contributing approximately $97 million in state and local taxes.

While National Hunting and Fishing Day happens only once a year, Idahoans celebrate our pristine public lands every day. Remember that the next time you visit a local park, put your boat into a lake or river, hunt chukars along rimrock BLM lands, or hike through a wilderness area in our state. Idaho’s values are etched into every mountain, every waterway and every open space throughout the state. Take this time to urge your federal delegation to turn the celebration of Idaho’s public lands into an everyday event by including these key Making Public Lands Public provisions in the LWCF package currently moving through Congress.

This story was originally published September 22, 2018 at 9:59 PM.