Resources - Connected Corridors

Resources

“In the West, wildlife crossings save lives and money” – The Hill – February 26, 2020•   Feb 27

Across the American West, a conflict has been quietly escalating for decades, leaving thousands of people injured and millions of animals dead. But the parties in this engagement aren’t out to harm each other; they’re mostly just trying to get where they’re going.

The conflict is between motorists and wildlife, especially big game such as elk, deer, moose, and pronghorn, and it’s playing out primarily on highways and the outskirts of suburban developments—places where the animals’ centuries-old migration routes have been obstructed or cut off by roads, buildings, fences, and other structures.

Now, however, a movement is afoot to preserve—and in some cases restore—wildlife migration corridors without sacrificing development, and to do so in ways that make travel safer for people and animals alike.

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Speak Out on Wildlife Corridors Plan op-ed, Albuquerque Journal•   Feb 24

One year ago, the New Mexico legislature did something that no other state in the country has done. Lawmakers passed the first-of-its-kind wildlife migration corridors protection act and they did so with bipartisan support. The Wildlife Corridors Act directs the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico Department of Transportation to create an action plan using the best available science to identify wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots on New Mexico roadways. It also calls for gathering more information about wildlife habitat and migration routes for such species as Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and pronghorn, to name a few.

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Thousands of New Mexicans Call for Wildlife Protections in Santa Fe and Carson National Forest Plans•   Nov 6

A diverse coalition of New Mexico conservation
organizations, sportsmen and women and public land advocates, today called for stronger protection of critical wildlife habitat, clean water and wildlife migration corridors in the Upper Rio Grande Watershed and delivered more than 23,000 public comments to the U.S. Forest Service calling for improvements to the Carson and Santa Fe National Forests’ land
management plans.

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“Opinion: Help protect wildlife for generations to come” Taos News – Oct 17, 2019•   Oct 22

Our Upper Río Grande watershed – which stretches from southern Colorado down through Northern New Mexico – is considered one of the best-connected wildlife migration landscapes in the country. In this region, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn sheep, migratory birds and even fish move across federal, state, tribal and private lands and waters. Such movement is necessary for the survival of many species so they can mate, find food, adapt to changing climates and maintain genetic diversity.

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“Retrofitting busy highways to let wildlife travel safely, too” Washington Post – Oct 11, 2019•   Oct 14

Across the country, as development continues to encroach on natural areas, wildlife-vehicle collisions are taking a massive toll. More than 1.9 million animal-collision insurance claims were filed in fiscal 2019, a State Farm report found, with some researchers estimating the annual price tag of the resulting human fatalities, wildlife mortality, injuries, vehicle damage and other costs at almost $10 billion.

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“The Rio Grande National Forest Plan Fails to Provide Adequate Protections for Wildlife” – National Wildlife Federation – Oct 02, 2019•   Oct 4

The National Wildlife Federation, along with its Colorado and New Mexico affiliates, Conejos Clean Water and nearly 5,000 concerned citizens, filed a formal objection to the final Rio Grande National Forest plan yesterday. The plan, which will guide land management decisions for the next two decades, fails to protect important wildlife corridors from oil and gas development and new road construction.

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“Balancing wildlife and wildfire in revised forest plans” – Taos News – Sept 30, 2019•   Oct 1

The Forest Service has the difficult task of balancing its management plan for a host of diverse uses, ranging from resource management, recreational use, wildlife conservation and wildfire management.

There has been a recent push by conservation groups to protect wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity by designating more portions of the National Forest as wilderness. But the discussion on how best to protect habitat has shone a light on another important component of forest management — one that’s a bit more controversial among residents: wildfire.

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“States Aim to Boost Safe Passage for Wildlife While Improving Motorist Safety” Pew Charitable Trust blog – Sept 16, 2019•   Sep 19

Big-game animals in the American West today are increasingly squeezed by growing suburban areas, energy development, climate change, and an expanding road network—factors that are threatening the landscape connections that wildlife need to move to and from their seasonal feeding and breeding grounds. Sportsmen, biologists, scientists, and local communities are warning that unless policymakers identify and conserve migration corridors, certain wildlife will be at serious risk.

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“Finding accommodation among wildlife, growth, and oil and gas leasing” Guest op-ed in Colorado Independent Sept. 12, 2019•   Sep 13

Last month, Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order that directs state agencies to prioritize protections for big game migratory corridors and winter ranges. I thank him for this much-needed action. It is sure to prove beneficial to wildlife, to motorists, and to our outdoor recreation economy. It also has important implications for how Colorado moves forward with oil and gas leasing.

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“Governor’s order strengthens science and policy for game migration corridors” Guest op-ed in The Daily Sentinel Sept 1, 2019•   Sep 5

Colorado’s sportsmen and women owe a big thank you to Gov. Jared Polis for prioritizing one of our state’s most valuable assets — our wildlife. By signing Executive Order 2019-011, the governor has acknowledged that animals like elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn need room to roam as our state continues to grow. The order directs the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation to prioritize management of big game migration corridors and seasonal habitats — informed by the best available science.

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“Wildlife, motorists and outdoor recreation economy benefit from executive order” Guest op-ed Boulder Daily Camera Sept 4, 2019•   Sep 4

Gov. Jared Polis recently took an important step to ensure that Colorado’s gorgeous landscapes, robust wildlife populations and thriving outdoor recreation economy will continue for generations to come. By issuing an executive order that directs state agencies to work together to protect critical migration corridors, Polis is helping to protect our Colorado outdoor heritage.

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“Lawmakers eye protections for Southwest wildlife corridor” E&E August 26, 2019•   Sep 2

The landscape is just a slice of an interconnected habitat stretching from central New Mexico to central Colorado. It’s home to migrating elk, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, mountain lions, lynx and black bears, as well as a wide range of bird and fish species.

Managing the checkered corridors of federal, state and private land that wildlife uses to migrate is a complicated endeavor, and the flight over Rio Grande del Norte last week showed just how many people must be involved.

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“Protecting Wildlife Migration” Taos News Aug. 29, 2019•   Aug 30

Smiling broadly and gesturing overhead, Assistant U.S. House Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) told the audience about the flight he’d taken over the Río Grande del Norte National Monument: “I got a bird’s eye view from above and could easily see how all the communities are connected. We’re family.”

It turned out that his opening remarks would set the theme for the third annual Upper Río Grande Wildlife Corridors Summit, which took place Tuesday (Aug. 20), at Sagebrush Inn and Suites in Taos.

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Support for Wildlife Corridors – Las Vegas Daily Optic Editorial Board•   Aug 24

We were glad to see the San Miguel County Commission show its support for wildlife corridors at last week’s meeting. More so than many other places, this part of the country really cares about protecting wildlife and making sure every animal is safe. By having effective wildlife corridors that connect these populations without fear of human disturbances, all of the animals are more likely to be protected.

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NWF poll conducted in NM & CO about wildlife corridors – April 2019•   Aug 24

A poll conducted for the National Wildlife Federation shows overwhelming support for the protection of wildlife migration routes. More than 84% of respondents in Colorado and New Mexico said they would like to see increased efforts to safeguard wildlife corridors. When asked about specific proposals to provide those protections, over 73% supported every potential solution, from building overpasses on highways to preventing oil and gas development in known wildlife corridors.

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“Upper Rio Grande Wildlife Corridors Deserve Protection, Panelists Say at Taos Summit” NM Wildlife Federation Aug. 21, 2019•   Aug 23

Scores of people including tribal officials, federal land managers, state wildlife biologists, conservationists and ranchers gathered in Taos on Tuesday for a day-long discussion of how to identify and protect wildlife corridors in the Upper Rio Grande watershed. The National Wildlife Federation organized the Upper Rio Grande Wildlife Corridors Summit event on behalf of the Upper Rio Grande Wildlife Initiative.

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Draft Proposal for the Rio Grande National Forest Management Plan – 2019•   Aug 11

Planners at the Rio Grande National Forest have worked with various agencies and the public to draft a new forest management plan.  The plan will guide how these lands are managed for the next twenty years.  You can help make sure that the natural balance of this system holds for decades to come. Please take a moment to speak up for wildlife and the protection of wildlife corridors in the Rio Grande National Forest.

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Draft Proposal for the Santa Fe National Forest Management Plan – 2019•   Aug 11

Planners at the Santa Fe National Forest have worked with various agencies and the public to draft a new forest management plan.  The plan will guide how these lands are managed for the next twenty years.  You can help make sure that the natural balance of this system holds for decades to come. Please take a moment to speak up for wildlife and the protection of wildlife corridors in the Santa Fe National Forest.

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Draft Proposal for the Carson National Forest Management Plan – 2019•   Aug 11

Planners at the Carson National Forest have worked with various agencies and the public to draft a new forest management plan.  The plan will guide how these lands are managed for the next twenty years.  You can help make sure that the natural balance of this system holds for decades to come. Please take a moment to speak up for wildlife and the protection of wildlife corridors in the Carson National Forest.

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Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 – May 2019•   Aug 11

Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced a federal wildlife corridors bill which would establish a national program to improve data collection and enhance inter-agency collaboration to ensure that wildlife corridors are protected and species are able to move between habitats.

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Wildlife Doorways Report – March 2016•   Aug 11

This two-day workshop was devoted to presentations on the science, planning and management activities relevant to wildlife movement and connectivity in the Upper Rio Grande. This report helped identify and compile key wildlife movement data and stressed the importance of cross jurisdictional collaboration.

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New Mexico Wildlife Habitat Linkage Assessment– July 2019•   Aug 11

As part of a collaboration between the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the University of Montana and the Center for Landscape Science at the Rocky Mountain Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service, this project assesses wildlife habitat linkage across New Mexico for 4 key species: elk, black bear, bighorn sheep and lesser prairie chicken.

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Secretarial Order 3362: Improving Habitat in Western Migration Corridors•   Jan 12

Feb 9, 2018 Secretarial Order 3362 was issued by the Secretary of the Interior in 2018 to improve the quality of big-game winter range and migration corridor habitat on western federal lands. It directs appropriate bureaus within the Department of the Interior to work in close partnership with the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming to enhance and improve the quality of big-game winter range and migration corridor habitat on federal lands under the management jurisdiction of Interior in a way that both recognizes state authority to conserve and manage big-game species and respects private property rights. Each state created a state action plan in response to the secretarial order.

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