Private landowners, including forest industries, control access
to 50 percent of the land suitable for outdoor recreation in
Virginia. In the Old Dominion there are about 500,000 licensed
hunters and over one million anglers. In addition, the numbers
of hikers, canoeists, picnickers, campers, berry pickers, and
bird watchers are growing each year. Many landowners report
undesirable levels of trespass, litter, property damage, and
game law violations. Consequently, owners of private lands
suitable for public outdoor recreation are increasingly
reluctant to permit public access to those lands. Appalled by
infringements on landowner rights and violation of game laws,
sportsmen of Virginia founded Operation RESPECT (Responsible
Educated Sportsmen Promoting Ethical Conduct Together) in 1979
to upgrade sportsman conduct and reduce sportsman--landowner
conflicts. The Virginia Wildlife Federation and the Virginia
Division of the Izaak Walton League provided the impetus.
Working cooperatively with the Virginia Commiss