Safe Journeys for Western Wildlife

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Washington, D.C. – February 12, 2009) Safe migration corridors are one of the best hopes for protecting vulnerable species in the western United States, according to experts at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). In addition, the national environmental group says conservation programs in the Farm Bill are the best resource for protecting migration corridors on privately-owned farms, ranches and forests.

In a new report, titled Safe Journeys: Opportunities for Wildlife Conservation Through the Farm Bill, EDF outlines ways to use Farm Bill programs to create or restore wildlife corridors across 18 western states.

“Some of our most iconic and most vulnerable animals need to migrate across the West’s wide open spaces,” said Dan Grossman, EDF’s RockyMountain regional director. “Species that have come to symbolize the American West, such as pronghorn antelope, elk, and sage grouse, must be able to travel long distances in order to survive and thrive. That’s why conservation of private land is so important. We need to create safe spaces on privately-owned lands in order to link our areas of protected habitat.”

The Western Governors Association (WGA), state and federal agencies, conservation groups, sportsmen, and many others have already recognized the importance of wildlife corridors in conserving land and protecting animals from extinction. EDF argues that conservation incentives built into the 2008 Farm Bill can play a pivotal role in the effort.

“The Farm Bill can provide tens of millions of dollars for corridor conservation annually, so we need to take full advantage of the opportunities it provides,” said Sara Hopper, agricultural policy director for EDF. “Our report lists many effective ways to use Farm Bill funding to benefit landowners while protecting the great wildlife heritage of the American West. That support is vital for species now, and will become even more critical as animals are forced to adapt to ecosystem changes caused by global warming.”

The reports’ recommendations include:

• Western states should take advantage of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiatives in the Farm Bill to target restoration work to important wildlife corridors, and should reward land management practices that protect corridors.
• Western states should focus resources from the Farm Bill’s working lands programs towards creating and preserving wildlife corridors. That effort should include taking advantage of the new Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), which allows state and local stakeholders to collaborate for better results.
• Western states should ask Congress to undo recent changes that make some working lands programs less valuable for improving wildlife corridors in the West.
• Western States should use State Wildlife Action Plans and maps of important wildlife corridors to target those private ranch and farm lands that would most benefit from conservation easements.
• Western states should use Farm Bill programs to create wildlife-friendly fence designs and reduce fencing where feasible for farmers and ranchers. 

For a copy of the full report, click here.