Habitat & Conservation
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07/31/2026
U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Awards for Voluntary Public Access Funding
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever support projects across several states
July 31, 2026 - Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced funding for 19 different projects through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP). These projects will increase public access to private lands for outdoor recreation while benefitting wildlife habitat, farmers, ranchers and private landowners. This announcement comes after NRCS announced the availability of $52 million for VPA-HIP in April — the largest amount of funding in the program's history.
"VPA-HIP is a win for hunters, private landowners, and wildlife," said Ariel Wiegard, Vice President of Government Affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. "By expanding access to private lands and supporting habitat improvements, this investment will create more opportunities for upland hunters while delivering meaningful conservation benefits for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. We appreciate the continued commitment by NRCS Chief Colton Buckley and the USDA to this highly successful program."
The funding will improve many voluntary public access programs across 19 states. This will include expanding the Open Fields for Game Bird Hunters in Montana to at least 28,600 acres, increasing landowner and hunter opportunities through the Illinois Recreational Access Program, enrolling an additional 15,000 acres to the Iowa Habitat and Access Program and restoring Minnesota's Walk-In Access Program to over 30,000 acres. These awards will also benefit wildlife habitat, such as in Georgia, where the project will incentivize landowners to improve wildlife habitat on VPA-HIP enrolled land.
All of the selected projects will receive between $1.5 and $3 million, which can last up to three years. VPA-HIP is the only federal program dedicated to enhancing recreational opportunities on private lands, and provides competitive grants to state and tribal governments to incentivize landowners to voluntarily open private lands for public hunting, fishing and other wildlife-dependent recreation, while upholding private property rights. To learn more about the selected projects, read the NRCS' announcement.
"As the Chief of NRCS, one of my top priorities is to expand wildlife conservation and outdoor access; the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is a key part of our strategy to execute that priority," said NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley. "This program — made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — prioritizes farmers and ranchers while strengthening rural economies through support of wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation. These projects encourage landowners to allow the public to access their land for hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation."
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 500,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000 habitat projects benefiting 31 million acres.
Media Contact
Mikayla Peper
715-294-0688
mpeper@pheasantsforever.org
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