North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund
The Outdoor Heritage Fund has expanded access to the outdoors for all North Dakotans and helped preserve our way of life for future generations.
In 2013, North Dakota lawmakers recognized the need to invest in the state’s treasured natural resources. The Legislative Assembly created the Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF), designating a small portion of the oil and gas gross production tax to the fund.
Supporters from agriculture, energy, business, outdoor recreation and conservation came together to help legislators enact the OHF to support projects that:
Improve habitat for fish and wildlife
Provide public and private land access for hunters and anglers
Improve water quality and soil health while supporting farming and ranching
Protect natural areas for recreation
Since then, the OHF has awarded more than $117 million to projects across North Dakota. Together with matching funds, the OHF has resulted in an estimated $250 million invested statewide.
Demand for these awards is often greater than the available funding. Although the OHF was created with a $40 million cap on funding per two-year period, it has been limited to $15 million. This gap between demand and availability means many projects go unfunded. Strong, sustained demand shows that increased state funding would help support more farmers and ranchers, conserve more habitat and expand opportunities for North Dakotans to access the outdoors.
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Growing demand and unmet needs
OHF requests have consistently exceeded available funding. The appropriations cap, which prevents the OHF from receiving its full intended funding, has left many promising projects without support and may discourage potential applicants from submitting proposals knowing the funding is limited.
Since the creation of the Outdoor Heritage Fund, only 51% of requested funding has been awarded.
OHF-funded programs are already delivering real benefits across North Dakota. The consistent gap between requests and awards shows that the OHF has even greater potential to expand outdoor recreation, improve water and wildlife habitat, and enhance stewardship of private lands across the state.
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