Three Additions to Policy Brief Series

The Policy Brief Series, TWS’s go-to resource for federal policies and programs, welcomes three new additions. Members of The Wildlife Society can now readily access information regarding the Farm Bill: Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Improvement Program (VPA-HIP), the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and the Wilderness Act.

Download the policy briefs to learn more about these programs and how they conserve lands and enhance public access to them.

VPA-HIP is a competitive grants program within the Farm Bill that enables state and tribal governments to increase public access to private lands for recreational opportunities and enhance habitat for game, fish, and other wildlife. The Natural Resource Conservation Service awarded $20 million to ten states and tribal government in 2014 through VPA-HIP.

LWCF is used by government agencies to acquire lands for conservation and public access to natural areas. Over $16.8 billion have been appropriated into the LWCF since its inception in 1965. These funds have been used to purchase and conserve over 7 million acres across the United States

The Wilderness Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System to designate and preserve pristine undeveloped lands. Wilderness is the highest protection that can be given to wild lands by the federal government. Over 750 areas covering 109.5 million acres have been designated as wilderness since 1964.

The Government Affairs team is currently working on additional policy briefs on both American and Canadian conservation policy. The complete Policy Brief Series, along with other policy resources, can be accessed at wildlife.org/policy.