Recreational access to private land: Beyond the liability hurdle

Excerpt

AMERICA'S farm, forest, and ranch land faces a crisis of conversion and closure. This crisis may result in the loss of agricultural and forest production as well as the availability of land for outdoor recreation. The latter loss is especially critical because many people propose that recreational use of private land is a partial solution to satisfying America's burgeoning demand for recreational opportunity.

Ironically, as more Americans are seeking outdoor experiences, the usable land base is shrinking. In 1962 the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission projected that recreational demand would triple by the year 2000. That projection was surpassed in 1983 (17). Federal, state, and local efforts to acquire more recreational land have not kept pace with those demands. Park visitations increase yearly, causing overuse and degradation of natural resources.

The available rural, private landbase also has declined. Urban expansion consumes an estimated 1.5 million acres of agricultural land annually (17). In addition, critical wildlife production and hunting areas, such as wetlands, are being drained or converted to other uses at an estimated rate of 400,000 acres a year (17).

Land closure, although different in process than conversion, has the same effect on supply …