Monday May 15, 2023
Medium —
In the Western U.S., migratory habitat and corridors for big game species have gotten a lot of attention in recent years. In 2018, then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a secretarial order which directed Interior department agencies to work with Western states to identify, conserve and restore migratory habitats for big game species. Several states soon followed suit with their own policies and funding to identify, protect, and connect migratory habitat and corridors. In 2019, the New Mexico state legislature passed the Wildlife Corridors Act, requiring the state to develop a Wildlife Corridors Action Plan. The state followed up in 2023 with an appropriation of $5 million to support implementation of the plan. Also in 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order that required the state’s Department of Natural Resources to report on migratory corridors and habitats and to identify policy opportunities to improve corridor conservation. The next year, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon designated three migration corridors and laid out a process for future corridor designations. Then in Nevada, former Governor Steve Sisolak created the Nevada Habitat Conservation Framework, which includes the development of a Nevada Wildlife Connectivity Plan.