Fed bill keeps Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management lands open
USFS image Recently passed legislation will require public lands, such as a great portion of the Bitterroots, pictured here, to remain open to hunting and fishing, which could help stymie closures and lawsuits from special interest groups.
A giant public lands bill that would leave federal lands open to hunting, fishing and trapping was passed by Congress this week.
The Natural Resources Management Act of 2019, also known as the “Public Lands Package,” includes measures to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund and creates additional hunting, fishing and recreational shooting opportunities, according to proponents of the bill.
One of the bill’s provisions is the “Open Until Closed” policy, which requires lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to be open for hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting unless specifically closed for reasons that must pass muster, said Brian Lynn of the Sportsmen’s Alliance.
Lynn, of Liberty Lake, the group’s vice president of communications and marketing, said “Open Until Closed” is essential to stem the closure of public lands through lawsuits or special interests.
“Those lands will be presumed to be open to hunting and fishing,” Lynn said. “It puts the onus on special interest groups.”
For decades, anti-hunting groups have filed lawsuits challenging hunting access on public land, Lynn said. The suits often require federal agencies to fund impact studies to show why land should be left open to hunting. The latest bill — which now goes to the president for a signature — will prevent lawsuits by groups attempting to use the courts to stop hunting on millions of acres of public land, he said.
The bill also continues funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a 55-year effort to safeguard natural and cultural areas such as national parks, wildlife refuges, forests, rivers and lakes, community parks, and trails in all 50 states.
It also amends the Pittman-Robertson (PR) Act of 1937 to allow tax money from sporting goods to fund shooting sports facilities, allows the leasing of public land for shooting and target ranges, authorizes the transportation of archery equipment through National Park Service lands, and promotes anti-poaching programs.