Photo: Kristen M. CaldonAlong the Spine of the Continent in western North America, we and our partners are working to reconnect a vast network of protected, connected land: the 5,000-mile Western Wildway. We’ve created the following resources as part of this ambitious initiative.
Americans love and value our wildlife and natural heritage. Wildlife watching generates over $30 billion in consumer spending each year, fishing over $35 billion and hunting over $27 billion. These industries support local economies in rural America and generate state and local taxes.
Today, many of our most beloved American species – from the Florida Panther to the pronghorn, to Pacific salmon, to the monarch butterfly – are under threat from fragmentation of their habitats. The National Wildlife Corridor Conservation Act would provide for the protection and restoration of our native wildlife by identifying connectivity and corridors within public lands across the country
Many species in the US are declining. Scientists estimate that one in five species are at risk of extinction. One of the greatest threats to species survival and diversity is the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of natural habitats. America’s landscapes are losing species, becoming biologically unproductive and unhealthy because native habitats have become islands, cutoff from other landscapes and waterways, unable to sustain vital natural processes, such as: dispersal, migration, genetic exchange, acquisition of resources, population stability, and climate adaptation, among others.
On behalf of our millions of members and supporters nationwide, Wildlands Network, along with 222 other NGOs, express our strong support for the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019.
The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act would establish the National Wildlife Corridors System to provide for the protection and restoration of native fish, wildlife, and plant species. The conservation of landscape corridors and waterways, where native species and ecological processes can transition from one habitat to another, is critical to conserving biodiversity and ensuring resiliency for wildlife—especially in the face of climate change. Read case studies about how this act would benefit Florida panthers, grizzly bears, monarch butterflies, and pronghorns.
The Western Wildway Newsletter collects some of the news and accomplishments from our partners around the Wildway. This edition from August 2018 includes stories about the Forest Service’s intention of giving the Village at Wolf Creek road access, The Wilderness Society’s work to secure the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the reintroduction of the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Act in Congress.
The Western Wildway Newsletter collects some of the news and accomplishments from our partners around the Wildway. This edition from June 2018 includes stories about threats facing California condor, Rocky Mountain Wild’s I-70 audio tour, and the protection of Iconic Castles Park in Alberta.
The Western Wildway Highlights Newsletter collects some of the news and accomplishments from our partners around the Wildway. This edition from June 2018 includes stories about the importance of public lands for Mexican wolf recovery, the launch of Rocky Mountain Wild’s I-70 audio tour, and the protection of Iconic Castle Parks in Alberta.
The Western Wildway Newsletter collects some of the news and accomplishments from our partners around the Wildway. This edition from April 2018 includes updates from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands in addition to stories about the longest mammalian migration on earth and the Bozeman Pass wildlife corridor protection effort.
The Western Wildway Newsletter collects some of the news and accomplishments from our partners around the Wildway. This edition from February 2018 includes stories about Yellowstone to Uintas Connection’s Landowner Conservation Campaign, the USFWS decision to delist Canada Lynx, and the importance of landscape conservation cooperatives.
The Western Environmental Law Center provided this notice of intent to sue the federal government for violating the Endangered Species Act in its final Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan, on behalf of WildEarth Guardians (“Guardians”), Western Watersheds Project (“WWP”), Wildlands Network, and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. Guardians, WWP, Wildlands Network, and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance have significant, concrete interests in ensuring the long-term survival and recovery of Mexican wolves in the contiguous United States and ensuring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“the Service”) utilizes the best available science and complies with the ESA when preparing a recovery plan for the Mexican wolf.
Many consider the monarch butterfly to be one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. What some people may not know is that, each year, monarchs travel 2,500 miles to Mexico and southern California to escape freezing temperatures and lack of food during the winter. Through the designation of a National Wildlife Corridors System, we can support monarchs by protecting strategic habitat along their flyways, thus providing them with necessary resting areas, food, and the ability to reproduce.
Grizzly bears don’t follow human boundaries, and often, our parks are simply too small for this wide-ranging species. Just like how people need highways to get from one place to another safely, grizzly bears and other species need wildlife corridors to move from protected area to protected area in search of food and mates. The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act would provide these essential paths—protecting grizzlies and drivers from dangerous wildlife-vehicle collisions, and helping to reduce conflicts with people by giving grizzlies a safer route around cities and towns.
Each winter, pronghorn make a grueling, 150-mile migration from Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin to Grand Teton National Park. Without this migration, pronghorns would not be able to find feeding grounds to get them through such harsh winters. Unfortunately, many of our roads, fences, and cities block pronghorns from making this critical migration. The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act would make it possible for pronghorn to reclaim their migration route and secure it for future generations.
The Western Wildway Newsletter collects some of the news and accomplishments from our partners around the Wildway. This edition from December 2017 includes stories about the victory at Wolf Creek Pass, the victories of Western Environmental Law Center, and the successes of the partnership between Yellowstone to Unitas Connection, BLM and Forest Service.