Congressional Members Kent Conrad and Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota and Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas proposed legislation last month to promote the Open Fields Initiative, a program to provide incentives for landowners to allow public access on their private lands.

If passed, the Voluntary Public Access and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program Act of 2007 would amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage private landowners to provide public access under programs administered by the state or tribal governments.

According to a news release on the NRA’s Web site, the fully funded bill would open up 10 million acres of private land to the public for outdoor recreation.