The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership joins America's anglers and hunters in celebrating Senate passage of the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act (H.R. 187). The MAPWaters Act now heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.
The MAPWaters Act will improve recreation on federal waterways by investing in modern technology to provide anglers, hunters, boaters, and other water users the information they need to safely and legally access and utilize public waters administered by federal agencies.
The bipartisan legislation is led by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Angus King (I-Maine) and Representatives Blake Moore (R-Utah), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).
TRCP thanks Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) for their leadership to ensure this important access legislation crossed the finish line so American anglers and hunters can enjoy their public waterways.
"Federally managed waters provide millions of American anglers and hunters with innumerable opportunities to fish and hunt," said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. "The MAPWaters Act will digitize and clarify the complex rules of public waterways and make them readily available to all to ensure Americans recreate legally and safely on our public waters."
The MAPWaters Act builds on the success of the MAPLand Act by directing federal agencies to digitize water and fishing access and recreational use information on federal waterways and to make those resources readily available to the public. Federal waterways include any portion of a body of water managed, or partially managed, by one or more of the following federal agencies: the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service.
This newly digitized public information would include:
• Status information on which waterways are open or closed to entry or watercraft, including watercraft inspection or decontamination requirements.
• The areas of waterways with restrictions on motorized propulsion, horsepower, or gasoline fuel.
• Types of watercraft that are restricted on each area of a waterway, including the permissibility of canoes, rafts, motorboats, airboats, oversnow vehicles on frozen bodies of water, etc.
• The location and geographic boundaries of fishing restrictions on recreational and commercial fishing, including full or partial closures, no-take zones, and fishing restrictions within or surrounding marine protected areas.
• Fishing restrictions concerning specific types of equipment or bait, such as restrictions on the use of barbed hooks or live bait and requirements with respect to catch and release.
Much of this information is housed in agency documents and difficult for the public to discover and access. For example, in the Code of Federal Regulations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes 42 pages worth of National Wildlife Refuge specific recreation rules, many of which are tied to waterway navigation, use, and fishing. The clarity and accessibility of regulations for both the public and the agencies entrusted to manage these waters will result in more Americans confidently accessing and enjoying their public waters.
"Among America's 57.7 million anglers, navigation tools, mapping apps, and chartplotters are as popular and widespread as ever," said Glenn Hughes, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. "The Senate's passage of the MAPWaters Act will enhance access to key information through these mapping tools and devices, allowing the public to confidently fish, boat, and enjoy time on the water. As this legislation heads to the President's desk, ASA thanks Senators Barrasso and King for their leadership of this bill, and their commitment to enhancing fishing and boating experiences by ensuring that recreational information on fishing restrictions, no wake zones, and speed restrictions is standardized and digitized across jurisdictions."
"We're excited that the MAPWaters Act is headed to the President's desk," said Laura Orvidas, CEO of onX. "For hunters, anglers, and paddlers, knowing where to legally and responsibly access our waterways is essential. By digitizing complex water access information, this legislation provides the outdoor community with the critical data they need to access, explore, and protect our public waters. We're proud to support this effort to make water access more transparent and available—both now and for future generations."
"Knowing where to go fishing and what you can do when you get there is basic information all anglers need for a successful day on the water," said Lindsay Slater, vice president of government affairs for Trout Unlimited. "Trout Unlimited applauds the passage of the MAPWaters Act and thanks the bill's sponsors for shepherding this legislation through Congress. This law will simplify information for anglers to access and use waters managed by federal agencies, including decontamination requirements to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, helping to better inform anglers while also stewarding our fisheries."
To help educate hunters and anglers on the suite of important, bipartisan, access legislation that has been passed and is currently under consideration, the TRCP launched the MAPping Public Access webpage that breaks down the history, status, and relevance of the MAPLand, MAPWaters, MAPOceans, and MAP Roads Acts.
Learn more about TRCP's work to improve your access to public lands and waters HERE.