Assembly Bill 396 – SHARE Program
Recognizing that much of California’s game was on private property, and few of California’s hunting public could afford to pay exorbitant fees to gain access, CDA worked with the California Waterfowl Association to introduce Assembly Bill (AB) 396 in 2003. Authored by Assembly Member Tom Harman (R/67-Huntington Beach) and signed into law in October 2003 by Governor Gray Davis, AB 396 directed the then Department of Fish and Game (department) to work in partnership with nonprofit conservation groups, landowner organizations and others to establish the Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement Program, or SHARE. Under SHARE, the department was authorized to enter into voluntary agreements with private landowners to provide public access to their lands for hunting and other wildlife-dependent recreational activities, or access through their private lands to landlocked public lands. AB 396 directed the department to compensate participating private landowners with a small monetary payment and provided landowners liability protection for providing public access.
Fifteen years after its creation, SHARE continues to expand – providing more low-cost public hunting opportunity on private lands each year for deer, elk, pigs, turkeys and other game. The success of SHARE in California is currently being used as the template for federal legislation which would take our SHARE concept nationwide. Established as a self-funding program, SHARE is primarily funded via Access Permit Application fees.