JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is extending the deadline to Jan. 15 for landowner enrollment into the Missouri Outdoor Recreational Access Program (MRAP). MRAP provides incentive payments of $15 – $25 per acre and habitat improvement financial assistance to participating landowners in return for allowing public access to their land for recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.

Participating landowners can choose the recreational activities allowed on their property by selecting one of the following MRAP access types: all access hunting and fishing, small game and turkey hunting, youth only hunting and fishing, archery hunting, fishing only, or wildlife viewing.

Offered lands must meet minimum eligibility requirements such as being 40 contiguous acres in size (5 contiguous acres for wildlife viewing access types or 1 pond acre for fishing-only access types). MRAP properties must also consist of at least 20% quality wildlife habitat (native grass fields, crop field buffers, managed woodlands) to be eligible for the program.

There are currently more than 50 properties enrolled in the program, totaling over 13,000 acres of lands available for public outdoor recreation. MRAP funding is provided through a U.S. Department of Agriculture federal grant. This funding allows for the additional enrollment of approximately 7,500 new MRAP acres.

For more information on how to apply to the MRAP program, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zcs.

Contact local MDC private land conservationists (mdc.mo.gov/regional-contacts?county=All) or Quail Forever farm bill biologists (missouripfqf.org/field-staff) to enroll.

For members of the public interested in accessing MRAP properties, maps, instructions, and other details are available at nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/mrap. Users must respect all boundaries, follow regulations, minimize disturbance of natural resources, and be respectful of other visitors.