Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands

The rural setting offers a variety of outdoor recreation. Hunting, fishing, bird watching, snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicles, hiking, and biking are a few examples. Some of these activities will occur in proximity to your property. You can control activities that occur on your property, but that right ends at the property line. You may need to establish some type of boundary to identify where your property ends or begins. Many individuals will establish a tree row, fence lines, or markers to indicate their property boundaries.

Even if you don’t like hunting, you can’t stop your neighbor from engaging in that activity on their own land. In North Dakota, there is a regulation preventing hunting within 440 yards of an occupied building without the owner’s consent. This regulation only applies to land you directly own and control. If you have a two-acre lot you cannot stop the adjacent landowner from allowing hunting anywhere on his rural property, even if it is right up to the property line. So, when it comes to hunting and the discharging of firearms, be sure to know your specific state and local regulations.

Public land includes areas of land owned and/or managed by local, State or Federal government. These areas can include wildlife and waterfowl production areas, parks, Bureau of Land Management parcels, wetland management districts, and even historical sites. If your acreage is adjacent to public land, you will have recreational activities occurring next to you.

Being close to a recreational area can be a very attractive amenity to your household. Other citizens will also be utilizing the area and you will have increased traffic around your property. Placing a residence adjacent to a public use area will not preclude any activities that land is used for. For example, if you build your house next to a Wildlife Management Area that allows hunting, there will continue to be public hunting access on that parcel of land. An area designated for operational ATVs, snowmobiles, or other type of recreation will generate noise near your property.

Land Management Activities on Public Lands If you have not lived in the western part of the country, you may not be aware of land-management activities that occur on neighboring public lands. These lands are actively managed to reduce the risk of wildfire, restore healthy ecosystems, protect rare plant and animal species and produce natural resource commodities such as timber and forage to promote economic stability within local communities and industries.  Prescribed burning (i.e. controlled fires) is often used to reduce hazardous fuels that can carry wildfire and to restore historic plant communities and habitats. Controlled burns are usually conducted in the fall after the wildfire season. The Forest Service posts signs along roads when it is conducting a burn in the area.  Thinning and commercial timber/firewood/biomass harvest helps reduce risk of wildfire, restore historic vegetation, enhance wildlife habitat and promote natural functions and processes.  Seeding native plant species helps restore natural ecosystems and reduce weeds.  Controlling invasive plants through spraying or pulling.  Managing livestock grazing through allotment management plans.

1National Association of Conservation Districts 4.2014 – www.nacdnet.org  Developing recreational facilities and opportunities including campgrounds, trails, and boating facilities. Some popular trails require permits even for day hikes. Some also require that dogs be leashed.

Be Informed and Get Involved Find out what is happening on the public lands in your area. Ask to be included on mailing lists for land management activities. Attend public meetings, scoping sessions and other forums to participate in the management of your public lands.

2National Association of Conservation Districts 4.2014 – www.nacdnet.org References and Further Resources

All material in this guide is a compilation of and originated from the following publications. Project Manager, Beth Mason, National Association of Conservation Districts

Small Pasture Management Guide (AG 508), Utah State University Cooperative Extension (2008), Utah

Hood River County Rural Living Handbook, Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District (2/2008), Oregon

Wasco County Rural Living Handbook, Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District (9/2009), Oregon

Deschutes County Rural Living Handbook, Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon

Jefferson County Rural Living Handbook, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District (1/2009), Oregon

Managing Grazing for Sustainable Pastures, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Colorado State University Extension, Colorado

Planning for a Sustainable Homestead, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Colorado State University Extension, Colorado

Living on a Few Acres in Wyoming (MP-86), University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, Wyoming

Landowning Colorado Style, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Colorado

Lake Superior Watershed Rural Property Guide, Superior Watershed Partnership and the University of Wisconsin Extension (2008), Wisconsin

Tips on Land and Water Management for Small Farms and Ranches in Montana, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (1997), Montana

Outdoors in Anoka County, Anoka Conservation District and the University of Minnesota Extension Service, Minnesota

Rural Lifestyles, Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District (11/2009), Oregon

Pocket Guide, Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District (11/2009), Oregon

Jackson County Rural Living Handbook, Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District (10/2006), Oregon

Marion County Rural Living Handbook, Marion Soil and Water Conservation District (4/2011), Oregon

3National Association of Conservation Districts 4.2014 – www.nacdnet.org Best Management Practices for Georgia Agriculture, the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (3/2007), Georgia

Land and Water Management Guide for Non-Urban Areas in Mississippi, Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Mississippi

Rural Living, South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts, South Dakota Association of RC&D Councils, South Dakota University/Cooperative Extension Service, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (11/15/2004), South Dakota

North Dakota Rural Living Handbook, Grand Forks and Cass County Soil and Water Conservation Districts (2009), North Dakota

4National Association of Conservation Districts 4.2014 – www.nacdnet.org