New Year Brings New Hope and New Road Crossings for American Wildlife

At the end of 2021, Wildlands Network celebrated 7 Wins for Wildlife in North America, and in 2022, our team is gearing up for even bigger wildlife wins, which will include $60 million for wildlife road crossings.

To kick off the new year, our policy team analyzed President Biden’s Year One Report for his administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which was released in December. The progress report highlighted successes and next steps towards the administration’s goal of enhancing existing wildlife migration corridors and habitat connectivity. One of these successes included an additional $2 million secured to enhance the winter range and migration corridor of elk, mule deer, and pronghorn in the West. Another success included securing an additional 4,800 acres for the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to help protect and connect critical wildlife corridors for endangered ocelots and other wildlife that call the refuge home.

The ocelot is an endangered species that inhabits the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.

The report also showcased the next steps for protecting wildlife corridors through the new and highly-anticipated wildlife crossing competitive grant program. The new pilot program, which establishes $350 million over the course of five years, is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed into law last November. Wildlands Network played a key role in getting this program included in what was the largest infrastructure bill passed since the 1960s.

During the first year of this pilot program, $60 million will become available for “eligible applicants” to help incorporate safe wildlife crossings into road infrastructure projects. Under the new law:

• State transportation and federal land management agencies can directly apply for these grants;

• Local governments, tribes, regional transportation authorities, and metropolitan planning organizations can all apply for the grants after consulting with their local state transportation agencies; and

• Certain “eligible partners,” such as non-governmental organizations and institutions of higher education may also receive funds through project agreements with eligible partners.

The Federal Highway Administration is designing the application process and timeline for the first year of the pilot program, but in the meantime interested applicants can prepare for the upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity by identifying potential projects that will fit the criterion outlined in the new law. The primary criterion for consideration is the extent to which the proposed project will protect motorists and wildlife by reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, as well as how the project will improve habitat connectivity for wildlife. Some of the secondary considerations include non-federal financial contributions, the incorporation of innovative technologies, and the proposed project’s ability to generate local economic development and educational opportunities.

This year, Wildlands Network is partnering with the Center for Large Landscape Conservation* and ARC Solutions, and other involved organizations to help demystify the pilot program and its grant application process. Our organizations will be hosting several outreach events throughout the year geared towards eligible applicants, eligible partners, and other interested stakeholders. If you would like more information as it becomes available on these outreach events and the pilot program, Wildlands Network invites you to join our email list by taking a moment to fill out this form with your contact information and specific interests.

*The Center for Large Landscape Conservation has also recently published a toolkit that explains more about the pilot program and other fish and wildlife provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.