USDA announces $52M to boost public access to private lands for hunting, fishing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing $52 million to help state and tribal governments encourage private landowners to allow public access to their land for hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications through June 8, 2026, at Grants.gov for this program that benefits landowners and the public.

“The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is a critical source of funding for increasing public access to private lands for hunting and fishing while also supporting farmers and contributing to habitat conservation efforts,” said NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt. “This program is about opportunities for landowners and the public.”

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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) restored funding for the VPA-HIP [which funds the Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership (OLHAP) Program]. OBBBA strengthens the ability of NRCS to support farmers, ranchers, and partners in tackling conservation challenges at the landscape scale.

States and tribal governments may apply to use VPA-HIP grant funding to create new or expand existing public access programs or provide incentives to improve habitat on land enrolled in their public access programs.

For example, through previous awards:

• Arizona Fish and Game Department opened 4.8 million acres of private and land-locked public lands in Arizona for public use.
• Missouri Department of Conservation enrolled 30,000 acres into the Missouri Outdoor Recreation Access Program to increase and enhance wildlife habitat for small game and other wildlife species on private land in the state.
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offered 75,000 acres to the public for hunting wild turkey, pheasant and big game, at no cost to the user. These acres are spread over six large counties.

VPA-HIP is a competitive grants program available to state and tribal governments. Projects may last up to three years. Projects could receive up to $3 million, and project sponsors may use up to 25% of funds to provide incentives to landowners to improve wildlife habitat on enrolled public-access program lands.

See the notice at Grants.gov for information on how to apply. For more information on VPA-HIP, visit the NRCS website.