Every fall, hunters across our state enjoy Pennsylvania’s outstanding opportunities, from deer to upland birds to waterfowl. This annual ritual offers a chance for sportsmen and women to reconnect with the outdoors, make lifelong memories with family and friends, and fill the freezer for the year ahead.

But even with these rich traditions, there are still significant barriers to participation, particularly for newcomers. First among them is access to quality places to hunt, which is the most commonly cited reason for hunters to give up. And the growing difficulty in finding permission to hunt on private property has also increased pressure on our public lands.

According to a study by the digital mapping company onX and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, however, we have a reservoir of untapped public land opportunities in Pennsylvania: More than 27,000 acres of federal, state, county, and municipal public lands in our state are “landlocked” by private property and can’t be reached without permission from a neighboring landowner.

In the past year, access to the outdoors has taken on a new significance. We can’t take these opportunities for granted, especially as our growing population places a larger demand on our shared resources.

Fortunately, there’s never been a better time to address this access challenge. With the Land and Water Conservation Fund now permanently reauthorized and fully funded, $27 million will be available annually for access projects.

Together, we can utilize these tools to unlock more lands to the public for hunting and fishing.

Derek Eberly

Lancaster

The writer is Pennsylvania field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

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