Missoula, MT, December 18, 2019 – onXmaps, Inc., the industry leader in outdoor mapping technology, announced today a partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide public access to the Elkhorn Ranch. Through onX’s donation, recreational access to 2,830 acres of private ranch land and 6,170 acres of leased state trust land is now secured, and an agreement is in place to renew through access 2028. The donation also provides key access through the ranch to thousands of additional acres of Arizona State Trust and Bureau of Land Management Land.
Through the utilization of its leading data and GPS technology, onX has identified state and federal land access issues with the goal of pursuing new access opportunities.
“Through the analysis of our public and private land data, we’ve noticed one glaring issue: access,” said Eric Siegfried, Founder of onX. “Though the western U.S. is rich with public lands, we’re finding that access is limited in areas. It’s our goal to use onX mapping data to not only discover these areas of limited access throughout the United States, but to also open them up to the public.”
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been instrumental in coordinating the access opportunity with Elkhorn Ranch.
“This partnership between onX, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Elkhorn Ranch will provide recreational access on the Elkhorn Ranch for the next 9 years through 2028,” said Kyle Dutro, Landowner Relations Program Coordinator with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “This not only ensures that responsible hunters and other recreationists can access the approximately 9,000-acre ranch itself but the thousands of acres of State Trust lands which lay beyond the ranch boundaries. Without a partner like onX to support this effort financially and a willing landowner, projects like this would not be possible. The funding provided as part of this project allows the ranch to improve habitat conditions on the ranch benefiting both wildlife and livestock. We truly appreciate onX’s contribution to this project and the Elkhorn Ranch’s willingness to work with us.”
Public lands advocate Randy Newberg played a major role in bringing all agencies together to enable the opportunity. Newberg’s relationship with the Arizona Game and Fish enabled a quick enactment of the partnership, ensuring hunters have access to the property this winter.
To view the Elkhorn Ranch access and surrounding public lands on onX, add this shared waypoint to an onX Hunt account: Shared Waypoint. If not a current onX Hunt subscriber, the site will prompt users to sign up for a free trial to view the waypoint.
The Elkhorn Ranch access is now open to hunters and recreationalists. To sign up for recreational access online and view program details, visit azgfd.com/elkhorn-ranch-access. To learn more about onX, visit onxmaps.com.
