Utah Rep. Blake Moore joined other congressional lawmakers in proposing legislation that would ensure that recreationists have up-to-date digital information about public lands.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate passed Rep. Blake Moore’s (R-01) Modernizing Access to our Public Land (MAPLand) Act on April 6. The legislation now heads to the White House to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
“I’m thrilled my MAPLand Act is on its way to President Biden’s desk,” says Moore. “This is a major step forward for all who enjoy our federal lands.”
The MAPLand Act will direct federal land management agencies to digitize and standardize mapping records. This will allow hunters, hikers, bikers, anglers and millions of other federal land users to access essential information about public lands.
The law will also help federal land management agencies identify public lands with limited or nonexistent public access points and take proactive steps to open them to the public.
Currently, more than 9.52 million acres of land in the West lack permanent and legal access points for public use and information on these lands is still kept on paper files.
Moore’s staff say that only approximately 5,000 of the Forest Service’s 37,000 recorded easements have been digitized and uploaded to an electronic database.
The MAPLand Act will help give federal land management agencies the resources they need to digitize these files for public use, as well as requiring these agencies to provide information on seasonal vehicle restrictions on public roads and trails, hunting boundaries, and watercraft restrictions.
“America is home to some of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world and it is essential that we have up-to-date information on how to best access our public lands,” according to Moore.
Back in May of 2021, Moore joined other lawmakers – both Republicans and Democrats — in introducing legislation that would ensure that recreationists have up-to-date digital information about public lands.
After nearly a year, The MAPland Act finally passed the full House by a bipartisan vote of 414 to 9 on Mar. 15 and was quickly endorsed by U.S. Senate.
The MAPLand Act, Moore argues, will give federal land management agencies the resources they need to digitize such files for public use.
In the Senate, the proposal enjoyed the support of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and other outdoor advocacy groups.
“Access is one of the most important issues facing hunters and anglers today,” according to Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Roosevelt Partnership. “The MAPLand Act is a commonsense investment to ensure that all Americans take full advantage of the recreational opportunities of our public lands.”
“I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their strong display of support for our efforts to modernize and digitize our critical public land records,” Moore says.
“I am grateful we can deliver this major win for Utah and our nation at large.”