The U.S. Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would earmark at least $10 million for projects improving public access to federal public lands for hunters, anglers and outdoors recreation.
The legislation, which was taken from the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act and passed as an amendment to a larger energy bill, includes a provision called “Making Public Lands Public,” which dedicates 1.5 percent of Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars toward expanding recreational access to federal public lands.
In addition to making more federal lands accessible to hunters, the legislation would direct federal land-management agencies to purchase land to expand fish and wildlife habitat, and allow states to use Pittman-Robertson funds to create public shooting ranges on federal lands.
