IHAP program accepting applications from landowners

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is currently accepting applications for the Iowa Habitat and Access Program where a landowner can receive financial incentives in exchange for opening up their land for hunting. The landowner works with a wildlife biologist and receives technical assistance and financial incentives to improve the landowner’s property.

If a landowner is interested in this program the property needs to be at least 40 acres, and the application will go through a ranking process to see if it would get accepted into the program. The contract lengths run 3 to 10 years. During this time frame the property would be open for public walk-in hunting from Sept. 1 to May 31 each year.

The IHAP program has been around since 2011 and is funded through the USDA‘s farm bill VPA funds. There are currently more than 30,000 acres in the IHAP program in the state of Iowa. Most of these acres are enrolled in USADA’s CRP program. This is a great way for landowners to work with local biologists to manage the land and help to keep unwanted vegetation such as trees and weeds from expanding on their CRP acres. The IHAP program helps with seeding, mowing, prescribed burning, food plots and several other practices in managing the landowners’ acres.

If you are interested in more information on the CRP, Iowa Habitat and Access Program, or in other wildlife habitat practices/programs contact Jason Gritsch, Private Lands Wildlife Technician Iowa DNR, at 641 751 -1432 or jason.gritsch@dnr.iowa.gov.