North Carolina’s network of game lands cover 2 million acres from mountains to coast and are a popular destination for bird watchers, all while providing important habitat for birds and other wildlife.

A new proposal from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission would create a Conservation Access Pass that would be required to access these game lands for people who don’t have a hunting or fishing license.  

“While Audubon supports efforts by the state to find new funding opportunities for conservation, we are early in this process for this proposal and look forward to learning more of the details, including impacts on access and how new revenues would be spent,” said Zach Wallace, Policy Director at Audubon North Carolina.

"We encourage Audubon members and all users of game lands to take part in the public process and help shape this proposal to ensure it maximizes benefits for birds and other wildlife," he said.

Questions and concerns that we currently have with this proposal: 

• How will the new funding generated from the passes be used? How will nongame species benefit from this funding? 

• Will there be priority “uses” or “users” of game lands? Will Conservation Access Pass users have equal access? 

• How will NCWRC enforce the use of the Conservation Access Pass? What penalties will accompany noncompliance? 

The agency is hosting a series of public forums beginning next week to provide further detail on the proposal, answer questions, and gather feedback. Public comments or questions can be submitted here.  

If you have questions for Audubon, reach out to Policy Director Zach Wallace at zach.wallace@audubon.org.  

Public Forum details: 

The Mountain Region meeting will be held in Asheville, Buncombe County 
Date: Thursday, February 20 
Time: 7-9 p.m. 
Location: Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Ferguson Auditorium, Fernihurst Dr., Asheville, NC 28801 
Google Map Directions 

The Eastern Region meeting will be held in Greenville, Pitt County 
Date: Tuesday, February 25 
Time: 7-9 p.m. 
Location: Pitt Community College, 169 Bulldog Run, Winterville, NC 28590 
Google Map Directions 

The Central Region meeting will be held in Greensboro, Guilford County 
Date: Wednesday, February 26 
Time: 7-9 p.m. 
Location: Guilford Technical Community College, 3505 E. Wendover Avenue, Greensboro, NC; Room 152 AB Combined 
Google Map Directions 

Virtual Webinar via Zoom: Register to Attend. 
Date: Tuesday, March 4 
Time: 6-8 p.m.