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2022 Berggren Plan Web

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27 Tactics CONTINUE to promote and deliver the Open Fields and Waters Program and the Passing Along the Heritage youth hunting access program, while maintaining at least the current number of enrolled acres offering public access to private lands (at least 375,000 acres), and expand both programs as resources allow CONTINUE to target the enrollment of tall wheat and milo stubble fields and adjacent upland gamebird habitat into the OFW program, and maintain at least 30,000 acres open to public hunting throughout portions of western Nebraska CONTINUE to secure and utilize funding from a variety of sources to support the agency's public access programs, including federal aid grants, permit and habitat stamp sales, external grants (e�g�, USDA's Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program), and partner contributions BEGIN periodic surveys of OFW participants (landowners) and users (hunters/anglers) to determine their preferences and satisfaction levels and propose modifications to the program, if deemed necessary ASSESS the current OFW program (i�e�, payment rates, requirements, priorities, etc�) to develop a strategic plan to guide future expansion of the program to better meet the needs of Nebraska's hunters and anglers ASSESS the creation of a new reservation-based, public access program to provide additional hunting opportunities near urban population centers and/or in areas with high demand D. MANAGEABLE FACTORS AFFECTING PHEASANT HUNTER NUMBERS The tradition of pheasant hunting is an important part of Nebraska's culture and heritage� Although pheasant abundance and hunting access certainly affect this tradition, there are other deliberate steps we can take to ensure the ranks of pheasant hunters do not diminish over time� The Commission has made a long-term commitment to recruit, develop, and retain hunters, anglers, and other outdoor recreationists through a variety of related policies, programs, and permit offerings� These "R3" efforts (recruitment, retention and reactivation) are part of a larger movement across the country by states, conservation organizations, and outdoor industries to encourage participation in outdoor activities� Based on nationwide research and experience with R3 programs, those working in this arena have developed a "recreation adoption model" that illustrates the process a person goes through to become and remain a pheasant hunter or other outdoor enthusiast� The steps between and among recruitment, retention, and reactivation phases of this process are illustrated in the Pheasant Plan Conceptual Model (Figure 1), and these strategies and tactics are designed to influence one or more of those phases�

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