Number: 2007-09
WHEREAS, hunters and anglers recognize that private landowners own millions of acres of fish and wildlife habitat and that protecting and enhancing these habitats is essential for well-being of America’s wildlife; and
WHEREAS, the Farm Bill provides many important agricultural programs including programs to stabilize farm and ranch income, enhance farm and ranch commodity protections, promote economically efficient and environmentally sound farming practices and to protect the entire spectrum of natural resource values found on private farm and ranch lands; and
WHEREAS, hunters and anglers and hunting and fishing organizations have been important participants in supporting a strong, well funded Farm Bill in every Farm Bill reauthorization; and
WHEREAS, maintaining and building the support of hunters and anglers and their organizations is an important component of maintaining public support for all titles in the Farm Bill but particularly the Conservation Title; and
WHEREAS, there is an opportunity to provide incentives for landowners to open their lands for reasonable levels of free access to the public for no additional cost to taxpayers, and in so doing promote a stronger public alliance to promote the wise conservation of natural resources on private lands; and
WHEREAS, most Farm Bill programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, are oversubscribed and farmers and ranchers are required to competitively bid to participate in such programs;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 30-31, 2007, in Washington, D.C., hereby urges the President and the Congress to take all necessary action to pass legislation within the Farm Bill that provides farmers and ranchers with a competitive advantage in participating in Farm Bill Programs if they provide reasonable levels of free public access to their lands for fair and equitable public hunting, fishing, bird watching, or related outdoor activities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such a competitive advantage could be provided by adjusting the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) and other competitive scoring systems within the Farm Bill to reward farmers and ranchers to voluntarily opt to provide public access as part of a Conservation Reserve Program contract or other Farm Bill programs, without diminishing the conservation emphasis of these programs.