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News about Western Wildway

The Western Wildway is Wildlands Network’s vision of the world’s most extensive network of protected, connected lands. The 6,000-mile Western Wildway will provide wide-ranging wildlife like wolves, cougars, and other animals with room to roam, while also sustaining important ecological processes like pollination and carbon storage, and safeguarding our natural heritage for future generations.

Border wall in San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge

How Border Walls Alter the Evolutionary History of North America

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Earlier this week the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1158, which includes the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security 2020 Appropriations. Once again, Congress has delivered another blow to wildlands by providing $1.375 billion in funding for the construction of more border wall. This is enough funding for 350 more miles of wall… Continue reading “How Border Walls Alter the Evolutionary History of North America”…

Photo: Dansker Digital

Why We’re Migrating to Salt Lake City

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Wildlands Network is on the move: We’re relocating our headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah in January 2020! For the past several years, we’ve been happy to call Seattle home. But as our staff, programs and projects have grown, so too has the operational cost of doing business in Seattle. While our work and staff… Continue reading “Why We’re Migrating to Salt Lake City”…

A gray wolf raises its head in the air and howls.

Trump Administration Proposal to Remove Federal Protection for Gray Wolves is Scientifically and Legally Flawed

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The Trump Administration is proposing stripping Endangered Species Act protection for all gray wolves in the lower 48 United States, except for the separately listed Mexican gray wolf. Comments on this proposal from conservation groups point to substantial flaws and omissions in the USFWS’s analysis of the relevant science and their interpretation of various ESA mandates. Photo: William C. Gladish

People Are Helping Animals Cross Highways—And That’s Great for Humans, Too

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Chief Scientist Dr. Ron Sutherland spoke with Nation Swell, a digital outlet focused on solutions to problems facing the U.S., about the critical importance of wildlife crossings and our work to establish and protect wildlife crossings through policy at the state and federal levels, with a shout out to the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act that was introduced in May. Photo: Oxana / Adobe Stock

Five pig-like animals cross a road with trees, canyons, and hills in the background.

Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 Introduced in Congress With Bi-Partisan Support Following UN Report On Global Biodiversity Crisis

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Marking the most significant step toward national wildlife conservation in decades, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 was introduced today in both houses of Congress. Led by Sen. Tom Udall, the bill was co-sponsored in the Senate by Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Jon Tester, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ron Wyden. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Don Beyer and Vern Buchanan.

Achieving Shared Goals: New U.S. Jaguar Recovery Plan Affirms Wildlands Network’s Conservation Strategy

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On April 24, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the final Jaguar Recovery Plan. Many of the recovery actions proposed in the plan reaffirm Wildlands Network’s key strategies for protecting and enhancing jaguar populations in Mexico and the U.S., while also demonstrating the need for continued robust advocacy with government officials to improve and strengthen the official recovery programs. Photo: © milosk50 / Adobe Stock

Can We Preserve the Grand Canyon’s History and Wilderness for the Next 10,000 Years?

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After a thrilling rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Rebecca Hunter wrote about her journey through one of America’s most prized national treasures. At Wildlands Network, large protected areas like Grand Canyon National Park and other public lands form the building blocks of our Wildways, and it’s imperative that we continue to protect such regions, now and into the future. Photo: Richard Forbes

A lone Mexican wolf moves through green vegetation, with the photo blurred to show that the wolf is in motion.

Annual Mexican Wolf Count Shows Hope for the Species, but More Still Needs to Be Done

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) service reported earlier today that the Mexican gray wolf population had increased from 114 individuals in 2018 to 131 individuals in 2019. Kim Crumbo, Senior Carnivore Advocate for Wildlands Network, said that while the increase is good news, there is still much to be done to recover the endangered Mexican wolf to sustainable population levels. Wildlands Network encourages FWS to act upon the best available science for this species. Photo: Juan Carlos Bravo

Lone pronghorn walking through a meadow of yellow flowers

Border Construction Concerns Conservation Groups, Wildlife Experts

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KVOA, a local news station in Tucson, Arizona, interviewed our borderlands coordinator, Myles Traphagen, about the Pentagon’s recent transfer of $1 billion to build the border wall in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. If such a wall is built, it will facilitate an ecological disaster, cutting off iconic species who call both the U.S. and… Continue reading “Border Construction Concerns Conservation Groups, Wildlife Experts”…