Landowners, Land Management, and Access

Private landowners will play an increasingly important role in the future of the nation’s natural resources—over two-thirds of the nation’s land is privately owned and contains some of the most important habitat in the United States. In addition, about three quarters of the wetlands remaining in the United States are privately owned. Outdoor recreation also depends upon the involvement of private landowners, as many outdoor recreation opportunities can be found there; also, many outdoor recreation locations must be accessed by crossing private land.

One landowner issue that is important to natural resource and outdoor recreation organizations is the idea of using economic incentives for wildlife management on private lands. There are several advantages to this approach. First, private lands may be the best model for market-based natural resource and recreation programs. The private landowner has direct control over physical and biological aspects of wildlife production whereas the public manager must exert influence indirectly. The private landowner can use market prices as an indication of what may be charged for recreational access or other goods and services, while the public manager must rely on biological information and, even in the case of license sales, political tides. In contrast, private landowners are largely free of political constraints on their actions as long as those actions are legal.

State natural resource and outdoor recreation agencies and organizations are very skilled at habitat development and the ecology of wildlife. This expertise can be shared with private landowners at little expense to the agency or organization. The landowners, on the other hand, have expertise with their specific situations and will be able to apply training to their own conditions. Several states have cooperative habitat development and recreation access programs in cooperation with public agencies. This approach includes programs whereby landowners develop wildlife habitat on their lands either for direct compensation or for the opportunity to charge access fees to recreationists. The states retain authority over licensing and provide technical assistance in habitat development planning.

Beyond participation in state agency or federal programs, landowners have an increasingly important role in wildlife management. As the populations of some species increase on private lands, such as deer, landowners will exert an even stronger influence on wildlife management. Studies conducted by Responsive Management in several states, including Delaware, Georgia, and Maryland, show that overwhelming majorities of landowners allow deer hunting on their land, although most of those who allow hunting allow only friends and family.

Overall access for hunting and fishing involves the physical opportunities and locations to hunt and fish as well as sportsmen’s perceptions regarding hunting and fishing access issues. The practical reality of whether fewer hunting and fishing opportunities exist, and the perception that access is becoming a greater problem, represent two separate but related issues. The reality of less hunting and fishing access is a physical constraint to hunting and fishing, whereas the perception that access is becoming more difficult is a psychological constraint. Another important factor is whether the area in question is public or private, because the ways to gain access can vary greatly depending on this factor.

To gain a better understanding of access issues, it is helpful to consider the Comprehensive Access Management Typology, which was developed by Responsive Management researchers. The interplay among the typology’s factors means that management plans need to take all of them into account. They can be very effective when used as the basis for examining access issues and for developing management plans to enhance access.

Physical Aspects of Access

Availability: The actual land available for fishing and hunting.
Accessibility: The ability to get to the land. Problems of accessibility may include public lands blocked by intervening private lands, public lands that are distant from roads and difficult to get to, or roads and trails that are gated or restricted.
Accommodation: Ease of mobility and the experience once sportsmen are on the land. Crowding may be a concern for sportsmen who seek isolated areas for fishing and hunting and prefer not to encounter others. As another example, sportsmen may be able to gain access, but the conditions of roads and trails may make maneuverability difficult, or prohibitions on ATVs may make access to public lands difficult or impossible.

Social/Psychological Aspects of Access

Awareness: Information and knowledge, and sportsmen’s awareness of the access options open to them. Lack of knowledge regarding a place to fish or hunt can be just as much of a problem as an actual lack of places to fish or hunt. Awareness also pertains to knowing where information can be found and how to use it.
Assumptions: Sportsmen’s perceptions about fishing and hunting opportunities. Perceptions include barriers that actually exist, and barriers that sportsmen believe to exist but really do not.

Responsive Management recently finalized a large-scale evaluation of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) Program. Similar research was conducted for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to examine hunter and landowner experiences with the state’s Hunter Access Program. Both projects entailed surveys and focus groups of hunters and landowners, and results from each study are being used to develop program marketing materials to encourage landowner involvement.

Other Responsive Management research studies exploring the role of landowners and private lands programs include the following: