One thing that all hunters and anglers in New Hampshire should be concerned about is the lack of access to private properties. Lack of access is one of the most significant threats to the future of hunting and fishing in the state, especially as our landscape becomes more urban and land is divided into smaller parcels. "As greater than 70 percent of land in New Hampshire is privately owned, hunting and fishing is based upon the tradition of access to private land. This is a privilege provided through the generosity of landowners," stated Landowner Relations Coordinator, Charles Minor. He explained that more than 75% of hunting activity in the state occurs on private lands.

Hunters and anglers concerned about the lack of access have an opportunity to support New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Landowner Relations Program by making a $10 "Wildlife Legacy" donation when purchasing their 2008 hunting or fishing licenses. To make a donation to Fish and Game’s Landowner Relations Program, through the Wildlife Legacy Initiative, all you have to do is simply check the appropriate box when you buy your 2008 license from any license agent. Mr. Miner provided the following information.

The focus of the Landowner Relations Program is to maintain and increase access to private lands for hunters and anglers. Designed as a partnership between Fish and Game, hunters and anglers, the program works proactively to address the primary reasons for landowners restricting access. As partners, hunters and anglers serve as program volunteers working directly with landowners in the field, as well as assisting the program with technical skills, fundraising, promotion and program development.

"Presently, we have over 50 hunters and anglers serving as program volunteers, but the program is in need of additional volunteers," Charles Minor commented. "The greatest challenge that we have faced in developing the program is funding. All program activities are funded solely through donations, sponsorships and grants. As a result, Wildlife Legacy Donations provide a critical source of funding for the program. In addition, we have been fortunate to have donations made in sponsorships of projects by the Cheshire County Fish and Game Club, Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Sullivan County Sportsmen, New Hampshire Wildlife Federation and the New Hampshire Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. We have also recently received a Hunting Heritage Partnership Grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The funds received are used primarily to cover the costs of materials and services required."

The following are a few of the ongoing and planned projects to maintain and increase hunter and angler access to private lands that have been or will be funded in part through the Wildlife Legacy Donations. These funds are used in conjunction with other funding sources in order to maximize their value.

Pheasant Hunter Landowner Relations Project: In response to the loss of 1/3 of the pheasant hunting sites in Cheshire and Sullivan Counties, a cooperative project focused on addressing issues and concerns of landowners was developed in conjunction with Cheshire County Fish and Game Club, Sullivan County Sportsmen and Monadnock Regional High School Fish and Game Club. By working with landowners, specific issues were identified and strategies to address the issues, including access management signage, were developed. As a result of working with landowners and employing the strategies, 36 project volunteers have been able to maintain hunter access to the remaining 23 pheasant sites.

Cocheco River Angler Access Project: Working in partnership with the Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the city of Dover, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and two private landowners, angler access to a 2 ½ mile section of the Cocheco River, that was posted nearly 10 years ago, was opened. As a result, Fish and Game has resumed stocking this section of the river, which had been discontinued when access was lost. Future plans for this stretch of river are to provide access for anglers with disabilities. In addition, the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, New Hampshire Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be working with the program on community outreach activities.

Turkey Hunter Landowner Relations Project: During the upcoming spring turkey season, information and input will be gathered which will be used to develop the Turkey Hunter Landowner Relations Project. The focus of this project will be to maintain and increase access to private lands for turkey hunting. Assisting the Landowners Relations Program with this effort will be volunteers from the New Hampshire State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Each volunteer will:

1. Select one or more parcels of land in their area that provides a quality turkey hunting opportunity.

2. Meet with the landowner to identify issues and concerns that the landowner has with turkey hunting and listen to how the landowner feels they can be addressed.

3. After the season, they will contact the landowner to gather input on any issues they experienced during the season.

Once all of the information is gathered, they will be working with the state chapter in order to identify issues impacting turkey hunter access and to develop strategies to address them. This will form the basis of the Turkey Hunter Landowner Relations Project. As with other projects, Wildlife Legacy Funds will be used to supplement funding required.

Operation Land Share: Work has begun on operation Land Share, a project intended to provide hunter access to 100,000 acres of private lands by the end of 2012. It will serve as the foundation of the Landowner Relations Program’s efforts to work in partnership with hunters and landowners to maintain and increase hunting access to private lands. The project is a partnership between the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, New Hampshire Wildlife Federation and the New Hampshire Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. It will be funded through a Hunting Heritage Partnership Grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation along with supplemental funding from Wildlife Legacy Donations. Landowners who enroll in Operation Land Share will agree to leave their property open to hunting and in return will be provided assistance in managing hunter access. Assistance will be provided in the form of access management signage which will be developed to address specific issues and concerns oflandowners as well as technical assistance with access management.

Landowner Liability: Concerns over liability is a reason many landowners decide to post their land. They are not aware of the protection provided to landowners who allow hunters and anglers access to their land through RSA 212:34. Later this year, the Landowner Relations Program will be producing and distributing an information sheet to landowners on the protection provided them by the RSA statue. Posting their land is not necessary to protect them from any liability. Wildlife Legacy funds will be used in part to cover the cost of this project.

Landowner Relations Guides for Hunters and Anglers: Guides for positive landowner relations will be developed and provided to hunters and anglers in the form of information sheets addressing the most common issues resulting in landowners posting their property. They will be produced later this year and will also be funded in part with Wildlife Legacy funds.

"These are a few of the projects that we are and will be working on in order to maintain access," Charles Miner stated. "The availability of funding will set a path for what we are able to accomplish, with Wildlife Legacy Donations being a critical component."

In essence, the Wildlife Legacy Donations that you can donate through the purchase of your hunting and/or fishing license will certainly help a good cause and you may want to seriously consider it. In my years afield, I have seen former hunting and fishing access lands spring up with posted signs or fall into developments of condos or businesses. If we are forced to rely strictly on state owned land, the hunting situation will become too crowded and dangerous.

Here is your opportunity to help safeguard your sport for today and possibly make it better for tomorrow. Your contribution to the Wildlife Legacy will certainly help. With everyone talking "green" today, let’s do this now before it’s too late.