Restore Wildlife

Wildways are for Wildlife

Native animals of North America deserve a place in our continental community, whether in remote areas or coexisting and thriving on lands that are tended for both humans and wildlife. This core belief informs our mission, our partnerships, and our projects.

Pathways for Wildlife

Our Approach

Advance Science

We partner with local communities and organizations to track wildlife movement, uncovering patterns that reveal how animals live and migrate. That research turns cutting-edge science into recovery plans and wildlife policy that makes a real impact.

Drive Political Change

We advocate for the effective protection and stewardship of the lands wildlife call home, working at every level of government to expand habitat and reconnect corridors so pathfinder species can move, recover, and thrive across North America.

Coalition Building

We lend our skills and leadership to build coalitions that bridge the roads, borders, and cultural divides fragmenting the corridors wildlife depend on — working hand-in-hand with the local communities who know and depend on these landscapes most.

Meet the Wild Pathfinders

We have identified animals whose presence and well-being tell us something about the health of their habitats and the level of connectivity between the different areas they use. We call these animals our Wild Pathfinders. Explore our efforts to help these important species move and thrive.

Red Wolves

Securing federal funding for underpasses on U.S. Highway 64 in NC.

Jaguar

Reconnecting their former habitat corridors, from Sonora to Arizona.

Mountain Lion

Restoring their habitat through crossings and connectivity.

Pronghorn

GPS-collaring herds to research & protect movement routes.

Thick-Billed Parrot

Partnering with local communities to protect ancient nesting forests.

Timber Rattlesnake 

Mapping priority road crossings to reconnect Eastern habitats.

Black-Footed Ferrets

Using technology to identify habitat for reintroduction across the West.

Pacific Marten

Camera-trapping to safeguard connected habitats.

Desert Bighorn

Designing wildlife crossings to reconnect endangered bighorn sheep populations.

Wolverine

Add here

Elk

GPS-collaring elk to guide wildlife crossing placement in the Southern Appalachians.

Eastern Sierra Mule Deer

Building wildlife crossings so mule deer can safely travel across I395.

Photos By (left to right) — n/a; n/a; n/a; n/a; n/a; n/a; n/a; n/a; Janene Colby; n/a; n/a; Pathways for Wildlife

Project Spotlight

Learn more about our work to restore and protect species across North America.

The Last Wild Pack

Red Wolf Recovery on US 64

Fewer than 30 red wolves remain in the wild — all in North Carolina. As vehicle collisions continue to drive the species toward extinction, Wildlands Network is pushing for stronger Endangered Species Act protections and advancing wildlife crossings along US 64 to give red wolves a fighting chance.

Explore the US 64 Study

Pronghorn Pathways

Fences, Solar, and the Four Corners

Pronghorn have moved across the Four Corners for thousands of years — but fences and solar development are altering their path. Wildlands Network is partnering with ranchers and tribal nations to understand these impacts and restore wildlife movement across the landscape.

Explore the Four Corners Study

Crossing the Divide

Bighorn Sheep and the I-8 Crossing

Southern California’s endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep are at risk from highways that cut through their desert ranges, slowing their recovery. Wildlands Network analyzed GPS collar data to identify the deadliest crossing points on I-8, helped secure $5.8 million for overpass design, and is advancing new crossings to reconnect the landscape.

Read About the I-8 Project

Our Goals

Inform Recovery Planning: Through targeted research, analysis, and dissemination of actionable information, inform recovery planning to support resilient, connected populations of terrestrial species across their range.

Partnerships for Wildlife: Work as an active partner of local and Indigenous communities, in coordination with state, federal, and Tribal wildlife agencies, providing expert assistance and advocacy to recover and restore terrestrial wildlife across connected habitats.