Colorado Continues Its Commitment to Connectivity
On newly-designated Habitat Connectivity Day, Department of Natural Resources releases policy report geared towards big game species.
The Centennial State just took another big step towards ensuring wildlife will be able to move safely throughout its landscape. On Wednesday, Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources released its long-awaited policy report identifying legislative and administrative opportunities to improve habitat and connectivity for big game species.
This latest release builds upon previous commitments, including the August 2019 executive order by Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis, focused on conserving the state’s big game winter range and migration corridors. The order acknowledged all of the work that had been done to date recognizing the importance and need to maintain and improve wildlife movement in the state, and called on multiple agencies to coordinate in order to expand upon those efforts.
Mule deer buck in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. Photo: Adobe Stock/Jeffrey
Last spring, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) also released a report detailing all of its research regarding the movements of big game species throughout the state, and this winter, the legislature unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the importance of protecting wildlife movement. Additionally, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and CPW have continued to plan and construct numerous safe passage projects, including an overpass near the junction of US-160 and CO-151 in the southwest corner of the state that is currently being built.
The state’s continued success in protecting and restoring wildlife connectivity will depend on how the report’s directives and recommendations are implemented. However, today’s report lays out a number of clear and ambitious policy ideas that provide not only a blue print for Colorado, but other western states to follow. These include but are not limited to:
Developing a statewide plan for habitat conservation and connectivity that identifies priority landscapes
Improving funding sources, including creating a dedicated source of funding for safe passage infrastructure, and using new sources of funding like those from the Keep Colorado Wild Pass to identify, protect and restore priority landscapes
Supporting wildlife-compatible land use recommendations in federal land management plans, as well as assisting counties in developing land use plans that minimize impacts to wildlife habitat and movement
Increasing data sharing and coordination, especially across jurisdictions in order to improve collaboration among state agencies, in part to ensure wildlife considerations are incorporated during early phases of transportation projects
Improving models for determining the value of conservation easements to better reflect the benefits to wildlife habitat, including migratory habitat
Expanding research around climate resiliency and the localized impacts of climate change on big game habitat
Coupled with the release of the report, Governor Jared Polis proclaimed September 29 Habitat Connectivity Day in Colorado, further expressing the state’s recognition of and commitment to wildlife migration and its connection to Colorado’s economy and environment.
Wildlands Network played an instrumental role in the passage of the habitat connectivity resolution earlier this year and has been coordinating among a variety of agencies and NGO partners in preparation for the report’s release. Colorado is a critical piece of our vision of a Western Wildway that connects Mexico to Canada. With this bold and ambitious report leading the way, we look forward to working with Governor Polis, DNR, CPW, CDOT, other state agencies and our NGO partners to make this vision a reality.
