Rep. Polis (D-CO) And Rep. Holt (D-NJ) Introduce Wildlife Corridor Conservation Bill In Honor Of Earth Day

Press Release

U.S. Representatives Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Jared Polis (CO-2) introduced today the "Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act" that would identify and protect wildlife corridors on public and private lands. These corridors are needed to give wildlife the room they need to roam as they seek new habitat in response to climate change.

The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act comes on the heels of an April 16th Presidential Memorandum that defines a 21st century strategy for preserving America's Great Outdoors and which also recognizes the importance of wildlife corridors and connectivity.

"It is vitally important that we identify and maintain habitat connectivity and migration corridors for fish and wildlife in response to the effects of climate change and other landscape level impacts on these critical resources. This bill will facilitate meaningful cooperative endeavors to this end between states, federal agencies, tribes, industry, and private landowners," observed Gary Taylor, Legislative Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act would create a national wildlife corridors information program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to collect and disseminate information among states and federal agencies about essential wildlife movement areas. It would also establish a Wildlife Corridors Stewardship and Protection Fund to provide grants to federal agencies, states, local governments, nonprofits, and corporations for the management and protection of essential wildlife corridors. Finally, it would require the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Transportation to consider the preservation of these movement areas in their management plans. This legislation incorporates and builds on the wildlife habitat and corridors provisions of the Climate Change Safeguards for Natural Resources Conservation Act (H.R. 2192), sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva, and ultimately incorporated into the House-passed climate bill (H.R. 2454).

"Smart growth is a popular concept these days, not just on Earth Day, and we need to make decisions about growth with the best information and forethought available." Polis said. "When development limits wildlife movement, disastrous consequences--from genetic isolation and the spread of disease to over population and car-animal collisions--can occur. This legislation will ensure that our scientific knowledge of wildlife is central to federal planning and provide local communities with the tools they need to maintain healthy ecosystems and public safety."

"Wildlife corridors are vital to maintaining healthy wildlife populations, which are part of what provide Coloradoans with their outstanding mountain landscapes and quality of life," said Paige Bonaker, staff biologist at Denver-based Center for Native Ecosystems. "Corridors are also vital to preserving wildlife in a warming world. In Colorado, they will be especially important for our native wildlife most threatened by climate change, like lynx."

In Colorado, hundreds of wildlife corridors provide essential connections among core areas of habitat for species ranging from elk and mule deer to bears and lynx. The importance of a connected landscape throughout the Rocky Mountains was underscored recently by a 1200-mile journey made by a radio-collared lynx from Colorado to Canada. The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are funding research to identify important wildlife corridors that cross Interstate 70 through the Rocky Mountains and investigate ways to reduce animal-vehicle collisions along the roadway. As part of this project, dozens of citizen scientists will be monitoring wildlife activity at key crossing locations on I-70 this summer. The Colorado Division of Wildlife is also participating in a project to identify wildlife corridors as part of its comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy.

"The lives of the American people always have been interwoven with the movement of wildlife. Today, wildlife corridors are vital to the outdoor traditions that are a central part of our national character," Holt said. "As we celebrate Earth Day this week, we recognize that protecting our planet entails protecting all of its inhabitants. Passing this legislation and preserving wildlife corridors would honor the ideals of Earth Day."

"Wildlife corridors connect natural areas and allow animals to move, migrate, and adapt in a warmer, more crowded world," says Jeffrey Parrish, Executive Director of the Freedom to Roam Coalition, which represents a broad group of businesses, non-profits, and government agencies. "Corridors also connect people to the outdoors, and ensure that all our citizens can hunt and fish, watch wildlife, and recreate while still developing our nation's economy and addressing our energy challenges sustainably."

Support for the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act includes the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Freedom to Roam, the Society for Conservation Biology, World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Alliance, the National Parks Conservation Association, Defenders of Wildlife, the Wildlife Society, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlands Network, the Sierra Club, the Humane Society, Conservation Northwest, American Wildlands, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Society, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Center for Native Ecosystems, Colorado Wild and the Western Environmental Law Center.

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