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HJM019........................................by RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION
VOLUNTARY PUBLIC ACCESS AND HABITAT INCENTIVE PROGRAM - Stating findings of
the Legislature and expressing support and urging Idaho's congressional
delegation to cosponsor and actively support passage of the "Voluntary
Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2003."
02/16 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/17 Rpt prt - to Res/Con
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session - 2004
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 19
BY RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS
3 ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
4 IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
5 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Senate of the
6 State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the Fifty-seventh
7 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
8 WHEREAS, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in
9 2001, 82 million individuals, sixteen years of age and older, participated in
10 wildlife related recreation, including 13 million who hunted, 34 million who
11 fished, and more than 66 million who engaged in activities such as observing,
12 feeding, and photographing wildlife in the United States; and
13 WHEREAS, individuals who participated in wildlife related activities in
14 2001 spent an estimated 108 billion dollars, including more than 35 billion
15 dollars on fishing, nearly 21 billion dollars on hunting, and more than 28
16 billion dollars on food, lodging, and transportation; and
17 WHEREAS, the growing public demand for outdoor recreational opportunities
18 is increasingly constrained by the limits on both public and private land
19 resources. Limited public access on private land has often frustrated and dis-
20 appointed hunters and other naturalists, and undermined the relationship
21 between landowners and the general public; and
22 WHEREAS, several states, including Idaho, have established successful but
23 modest walk-in programs to encourage public access on private farm and ranch
24 land, yet the demand for such voluntary access programs remains largely
25 unfulfilled; and
26 WHEREAS, in recent years traditional agricultural markets have offered
27 limited income opportunities for farm and ranch landowners and operators. Cur-
28 rent proposals to reform world agricultural trade favor the development of new
29 methods to support the income of agricultural producers that have minimal
30 impact on agricultural production and prices; and
31 WHEREAS, there is currently pending before the Congress of the United
32 States, the "Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2003"
33 which would create a voluntary, incentive-based program for landowners, such
34 as farmers and ranchers, who agree to make their land accessible in exchange
35 for a per acre payment. Each state would design and implement its own access
36 program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.
37 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-
38 sion of the Fifty-seventh Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and
39 the Senate concurring therein, that we support the passage of the
40 "Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2003," to encourage
41 owners and operators of privately held farm and ranch land to voluntarily make
42 their land available for access by the public under programs administered by
43 states.
44 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the congressional delegation
2
1 representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States to
2 cosponsor and actively support passage of the "Voluntary Public Access and
3 Habitat Incentive Program of 2003."
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-
5 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this
6 Memorial to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
7 sentatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation representing the
8 State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 14088
The purpose of this Joint Memorial is to notify the
President of the United States, the United States Senate and
House of Representatives and Idaho's congressional delegation
that the Legislature of the State of Idaho considers the
"Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2003"
to be an extremely important component of maintaining wildlife
related recreation in Idaho and the nation. The program would
encourage owners and operators of privately held farm and ranch
land to voluntarily make their land available for access by the
public under programs administered by the States such as the
Idaho Department of Fish and Game's 'Access Yes' program.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact to the General Fund. Wildlife related
recreation in Idaho is a $1.6 billion industry that supports
almost 20,000 jobs, many of which are in our rural communities.
A voluntary access program provides some financial incentives to
private land owners to allow access.
Contact
Name: Steve Barton, Department of Fish and Game
Phone: (208) 287-2798
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HJM 019