In a move that will make hunters and anglers perk up, Doug Burgum announced a new “open-unless-closed” approach to public land access across much of the Department of the Interior. The idea is simple: if a piece of Interior-managed land can be open to hunting and fishing, it should be….unless there’s a clear reason tied to law, safety, or resource protection to shut it down. The directive applies to lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges, Bureau of Reclamation properties, and some National Park Service units where hunting is already allowed (don’t worry, Yellowstone and Yosemite aren’t suddenly on the menu). In short, access becomes the default, not the exception.
While this won’t flip a switch overnight or suddenly unlock millions of brand-new acres, it sends a clear signal that hunting and fishing matter. A lot. Beyond tradition, recreation on Interior’s 480 million acres pumps serious money into the economy and supports millions of jobs—and hunters and anglers have been some of the loudest voices defending public land from sale or transfer. The order also pumps the brakes on blanket bans of lead ammo and tackle, keeping restrictions voluntary unless real, population-level impacts are proven. It is less instant gratification and more like setting the table while aligning federal rules with state regulations, cutting red tape, and making sure access stays front and center for the long haul.
Read the full story at Outdoor Life here.
Photo: cradioman from Getty Images
