“Both bills will guarantee that access for America’s sportsmen to prime public land won’t arbitrarily be denied,” said Bud Pidgeon, President and CEO of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.
Specifically, both bills would ensure that:
• Federal public land managers within the FS and the BLM provide access to federal public lands and waters for fishing, hunting and shooting.
• An “open until closed” policy be established and applicable to lands managed by the FS and the BLM. Public lands would remain open to such activities unless necessary and reasonable closures or restrictions are determined with notification to the public and to Congress.
• Federal land managers provide an annual report to Congress on any closures of land to hunting, fishing or shooting that detail the reasons for the closures. Closures or significant restrictions to any lands or waters of 640 acres or more would require notice to the public and to Congress.
• Legal impediments to designating specific lands for recreational shooting be removed. This would greatly enhance the ability of federal land managers to manage recreational activities on public lands and to provide safe areas for shooting.
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