NEWS RELEASE

April 4, 2023

Bozeman, MT – Millions of collisions occur between drivers and animals on U.S. roads annually. To address this dangerous, expensive, and growing problem, Congress created a national Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. This new grant program will prevent accidents and connect habitat by investing in measures that allow wildlife to safely cross over or under roads and fish to pass through streams beneath roads. Earlier today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program’s first round of competitive grants—nearly $112M for research, planning, design, and construction projects that aim to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat connectivity.

To help potential applicants take advantage of this new federal funding, a coalition of nonprofit organizations has launched a website offering free resources for developing successful proposals. The nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), which provides science and policy expertise on wildlife crossings, is part of a coalition providing support for interested entities. The coalition also includes Animal Road Crossings (ARC) Solutions, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, National Parks Conservation Association, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Wildlands Network. The coalition website features some of CLLC’s resources, such as a Toolkit for Developing Effective Projects under the Federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program and a co-hosted webinar series, Demystifying Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure. The coalition has assembled a variety of information related to planning effective wildlife crossing projects and relevant funding opportunities.  

The new Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program will help prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions, which cause hundreds of human fatalities, thousands of human injuries, and millions of wildlife deaths in the U.S. each year, while costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars annually. And these costs are rising; the average expense of hitting an elk is more than $73,000, with vehicle repair costs increasing by around 70% since 2007. 

“Wildlife crossings are gaining bipartisan support nationwide because they save lives, connect habitat, and can provide an exceptional return on investment,” says CLLC Director of Government Affairs Anna Wearn. “Doing nothing about this problem costs more than fixing it, given that proven solutions exist. However, until now, many states and Tribes simply haven’t had the capital to invest upfront in these measures that pay huge dividends for communities and ecosystems. 

“The resources provided by this coalition website will help ensure a strong slate of applications for the new funding,” adds Wearn. “Ultimately, successful projects will demonstrate the value of making this pilot program permanent in subsequent federal transportation legislation.” 

The new program, provided through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), represents the first-ever dedicated federal funding for wildlife crossings. Studies show that properly designed and placed crossings can eliminate collisions with wildlife. These structures save taxpayers money by preventing costly accidents and stimulate economies by creating well-paying construction jobs, especially in rural communities where the majority of collisions occur.  

Applications under the new program are due August 1, 2023. Eligible applicants include state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, regional transportation authorities, special purpose districts, public authorities with a transportation function, Tribes, and federal land management agencies. In most cases, applicants will need to provide 20% matching non-federal funds for their proposed projects, with the Federal Highway Administration covering the other 80% of costs.

The prospect of this match requirement inspired a flurry of legislation in 2022 and 2023 in states across the country to establish new dedicated wildlife crossings accounts. These bills seek to unlock federal dollars under the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program and nearly 20 other IIJA grant programs with new or expanded eligibility for projects that improve habitat connectivity and/or reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.  

“In addition to the safety and economic benefits, wildlife crossings reconnect landscapes that have been fragmented by roads,” says CLLC Senior Conservationist Rob Ament. “These crossing structures allow species to access food and water, find mates, and successfully migrate, creating healthier, more sustainable wildlife populations.” 

CLLC staff provided information to bipartisan legislators and congressional staff keen on developing the new program’s provisions. They worked with coalition members to demonstrate the proposed program’s necessity and broad appeal. 

“It has been an exciting time for organizations like ours, which have been advocating for crossings for many years. We see momentum sweeping across the country for these win-win-win solutions,” says Ament.  

For more information: 

The coalition’s Wildlife Crossings website

Federal Highway Administration’s website

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation  

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation is the hub of a growing global movement to reverse fragmentation of the earth’s large landscapes and restore nature’s resilience to climate change. The Center works to connect natural areas, provide critical wildlife habitat and safe migration for wide-ranging animals, and protect ecological processes and systems. They accomplish this by developing science, crafting policy, and sharing expertise with partners, practitioners, and local communities around the world.

###  

CONTACT:  Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager, communications@largelandscapes.org   

Top photo: US-160 overpass in Colorado – CDOT/Tony Cady

The post New Federal Funding to Build Life-Saving Wildlife Crossings is Now Available appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Wildlands Network, Endangered Species Coalition, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Humane Society Legislative Fund, ARC Solutions

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 6, 2021) — Marking an important step to safeguard both people and wildlife, the bipartisan infrastructure package that the U.S. Congress passed late Friday includes $350 million to construct wildlife road crossings. These structures reconnect important habitat and allow animals to pass safely over or under roadways, avoiding traffic. The legislation also makes projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions eligible for funding in other transportation programs. The provisions in this legislation will help safeguard biodiversity while stimulating the U.S. economy, mitigating climate impacts, and reducing highway fatalities.

Reported collisions between motorists and wildlife cause more than 200 human fatalities and over 26,000 injuries each year, at an annual cost to Americans exceeding $8 billion. More than one million large animals are killed annually by motorists on U.S. roads—roughly one every 26 seconds. In West Virginia, ranked first in the nation, there is a one in 37 chance that residents will hit an animal every year. Numerous research studies show that wildlife crossing structures and fencing that guide animals over or under our nation’s highways are highly effective, reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 97%.

With one in five species in the U.S. at risk of extinction, biodiversity loss and the related disruption of natural wildlife habitats are among the nation’s greatest conservation challenges, especially in the face of climate change. Connecting habitats and facilitating wildlife movement by building highway crossing structures enables species to migrate, access resources for survival, and better adapt to changing landscapes and climate.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes a five-year reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs. Some of the key wildlife provisions in the transportation component of the infrastructure package are as follows:

• $350 million in dedicated funding for wildlife-vehicle collision reduction projects from a competitive grant program;
• The option for state and federal agencies to utilize other program dollars for projects that improve habitat connectivity; and
• Training opportunities and research and data support to assist states to more effectively study wildlife-vehicle conflict and prioritize needed projects.

Over the past several years, nine states—including New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Virginia, and New Hampshire—have enacted habitat connectivity legislation. An additional six states have introduced similar legislation and/or issued executive orders to protect wildlife corridors. Similarly, many Tribal Nations have been working for more than a decade to identify and protect wildlife movement on their lands. However, while states and Tribal Nations continue to seek ways to protect wildlife movement and build wildlife crossings, funding to implement these efforts has been inadequate. The new funding opportunities in the infrastructure bill will support state, tribal and federal efforts to protect motorists and allow wildlife to safely cross highways.

“By funding wildlife crossing structures, the bipartisan infrastructure bill creates safer passage for both people and animals across our nation’s highways,” said Gary Tabor, President of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. “The legislation is a smart economic investment and positions the U.S. as an international leader in habitat connectivity and biodiversity conservation. The measures to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions will save taxpayers money, create jobs in green infrastructure, and safeguard North America’s remarkable wildlife migrations for generations to come.”

“This legislation is a critical step to make our roads safer for both people and wildlife, especially in the face of climate change,” said Susan Holmes, Federal Policy Director at Wildlands Network. “By investing in wildlife road crossings and providing funds for states and tribes to protect wildlife corridors, this bill will safeguard biodiversity and protect motorists while rebuilding our infrastructure. This represents the first time there is dedicated funding for wildlife crossings in the federal transportation bill. Wildlands Network thanks the members of the House who have championed these important wildlife crossing provisions.”

“Nobody wants to experience the pain of hitting an animal with their car—worse if the animal is a threatened or endangered species—or risk injury or even death to themselves,” stated Leda Huta, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “This common-sense policy provision reduces that risk. In doing so, it benefits not only our natural world, which needs help, but it improves the quality of life of people.”

“Wildlife crossings make good sense from every perspective,” said Kate Wall, Senior Legislative Manager for IFAW. “They are a cost effective solution to the $8 billion-dollar annual problem of wildlife-vehicle collisions, so they are a win for taxpayers. Even more important, they save lives – both of animals and human beings, so they are a win for biodiversity and communities across the United States. We applaud Congress for including these common-sense provisions in their bipartisan infrastructure bill.”

“’Roadkill’ has sadly become a mundane fact of everyday life, but wildlife-vehicle collisions injure and kill millions of animals, claim the lives of over 200 people, and account for more than $8 billion in damages every year,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We have the means to provide wildlife with safe passage over and around our roadways, and we are thrilled to see substantial investment in wildlife crossings projects. Congress has made it clear that these wildlife-based transportation reforms are of crucial significance to public safety and animal well-being.”

“Unlike so many issues we face today, we know that there are proven solutions to making our roadways safer for people and wildlife,” said Renee Callahan, Executive Director of ARC Solutions. “Almost 10 years ago, a survey of close to 500 state and federal transportation agency representatives identified funding as the #1 barrier to making a national investment in wildlife crossing structures. Passage of today’s bill, which addresses that obstacle by dedicating $350 million in funding for wildlife infrastructure, is a crucial tipping point in improving human safety, reducing wildlife mortality, restoring connectivity, and creating jobs. I hope you will join me in celebrating this landmark act.”

Resources:

A list of wildlife crossing and road mitigation job creation projects that would benefit from
federal infrastructure and stimulus funding can be found here.

A list of each state’s current habitat connectivity policies can be found here.

Contacts:

Center for Large Landscape Conservation: Anna Wearn, 406-285-8652, anna@largelandscapes.org
Wildlands Network: Susan Holmes, 202-329-1553, susan@wildlandsnetwork.org
ARC Solutions: Renee Callahan, 406-551-0132, rcallahan@arc-solutions.org

Photo: Wildlife crossing overpass in Nevada / NDOT

The post Bipartisan Infrastructure Package Provides Critical Funding to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, Endangered Species Coalition, Humane Society Legislative Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, National Parks Conservation Association, Wildlands Network

The INVEST Act would protect and restore wildlife corridors and provide significant funding to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions nationally

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 2, 2021) — Marking a significant step for wildlife conservation, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act along with $400 million for projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, passed the United States House of Representatives as part of H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act. These important provisions will safeguard biodiversity while helping stimulate the U.S. economy, mitigate climate impacts, and reduce highway fatalities.

With one in five species in the U.S. at risk of extinction, biodiversity loss and the disruption of natural wildlife habitats are among the nation’s greatest conservation challenges. Connecting habitats by protecting corridors and building highway crossing structures for wildlife enables species to migrate, access resources for survival, and better adapt to changing landscapes and climate. Indeed, a new report from a biodiversity and climate change workshop co-sponsored by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for corridors as part of an integrated strategy to address both climate change and biodiversity loss.

The bipartisan Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act was introduced in the last Congress by Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL). The Act accomplishes the following:

• Grants authority to key federal agencies to develop a National Wildlife Corridor System on federal public land;
• Dedicates $50 million per year to a Wildlife Movement Grant Program that will incentivize the state and tribal agencies and interested private landowners to improve habitat connectivity on non-federal lands;
• Contains the provisions of the Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act, previously introduced by Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), which provides funding and support for Tribal Nations to establish and manage wildlife corridors on tribal lands; and
• Creates a National Wildlife Corridor Database—which will be freely available to states, tribes, federal agencies, and the public—to support decisions about wildlife corridors and develop strategies to enhance habitat connectivity.

“With time running out to protect key iconic species, the House just took decisive action by passing the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act,” said Representative Don Beyer (D-VA). “Years ago, during my first term, I had the opportunity to meet with one of my heroes, the legendary Dr. E.O. Wilson; his argument for protecting biodiversity and his proposed solutions for doing so were the seed of this legislation. As he pointed out, simply providing wildlife the opportunity to move across lands and waters is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help preserve the many species in the U.S. at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and fragmentation. This is a great day for wildlife protection.”

Connecting wildlife corridors is a conservation strategy that is gaining broad support across the country. In 2021 alone, three states—Florida, Virginia and Colorado—have passed bipartisan legislation to protect wildlife corridors. To date, 14 states have introduced wildlife corridor legislation or issued executive orders, and nine of those states have passed the legislation. While states are initiating wildlife corridor and crossing protection, federal funding and technical assistance is needed to fully to implement these emerging state policies and projects. The INVEST in America Act provides access to significant dollars for landowners, states, federal land managers and tribes to work together to collaboratively protect wildlife.  

“Protecting wildlife corridors is one of the most important tools we have to address the biodiversity crisis, especially in the face of climate change,” said Susan Holmes, Federal Policy Director at Wildlands Network. “By investing in wildlife road crossings and providing funds for states and tribes to protect wildlife corridors, this bill will safeguard biodiversity and protect motorists while rebuilding infrastructure. Wildlands Network thanks the members of the House of Representatives who have championed wildlife corridor and crossing provisions and urges the Senate to quickly pass this important legislation.”

Reported collisions between motorists and wildlife cause more than 200 human fatalities and over 26,000 injuries each year, at an annual cost to Americans of more than $8 billion. More than one million large animals are killed annually by motorists on U.S. roads—roughly one every 26 seconds. Numerous research studies show that wildlife crossing structures and fencing that guide animals over or under our nation’s highways are highly effective, reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 97%.

Within the INVEST in America Act is the five-year reauthorization of the surface transportation bill, which:

• Includes $400 million in dedicated funding for wildlife-vehicle collision reduction projects from a competitive grant program; and
• Allows state and federal agencies the option to utilize other program dollars for projects that improve habitat connectivity; and
• Provides training opportunities and research and data support to assist states to more effectively study wildlife-vehicle conflict and prioritize needed projects.

These provisions complement language included in S. 1931, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 (STRA) that the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee unanimously passed in May 2021. Such funding will support state, tribal and federal efforts to protect motorists and allow wildlife to safely cross highways.

The bill is supported by nationally recognized scientists, including renowned biologist Dr. E.O. Wilson, recreation companies including Patagonia and more than 220 prominent NGOs nationwide.

“By securing funding for wildlife crossing structures and protections for wildlife corridors, the INVEST in America Act creates safer passage for both people and wildlife across our nation’s highways,” said Gary Tabor, President of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. “Connecting habitat and protecting migration routes allows wildlife to move safely across landscapes in order to find food, mates, and refuge in a changing world. Additionally, reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and conserving ecosystems will save money and create jobs in green infrastructure and outdoor recreation. The legislation passed by the House today is a smart economic investment and positions the U.S. as an international leader in habitat connectivity and biodiversity conservation.”

“Ensuring safe passage and migration routes for park wildlife is a commonsense and forward-thinking solution, as climate change and habitat loss threatens park wildlife and ecosystems across the United States, said Bart Melton, Wildlife Program Director at National Parks Conservation Association. “From a black bear safely crossing the road at Shenandoah to the 250,000 strong herd of Western Arctic Caribou migrating across the vast tundra at Gates of the Arctic, critical action is needed to protect, restore, and connect habitat and travel routes for national park wildlife. The INVEST Act is a vital next step in collaboratively addressing the challenges facing national park wildlife today and for the long-term.”

“This bill is truly a win for both people and wildlife,” said Curt Chaffin, Senior Government Relations Representative at Defenders of Wildlife. “Habitat destruction is one of the main drivers of the biodiversity crisis. Investments that address habitat connectivity and protect wildlife and the places they call home are an essential part of the solution. These wildlife infrastructure provisions will protect biodiversity, increase public safety and create local jobs.”.

“Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of species decline and an impediment to recovering imperiled wildlife,” said Leda Huta, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “We thank the bill sponsors and supporters for recognizing the important role of corridors in helping our fish and wildlife migrate and move about the landscape.”

“It is fitting that the surface transportation bill includes the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act as millions of drivers and wildlife are affected by wildlife-vehicle collisions and other problems associated with road construction and other developments that fragment habitats and migration routes,” said Sara Amundson, President of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Representatives Beyer and Gallego have been tireless champions in pushing for a national wildlife corridors system that will reconnect these vital habitats across federal, state, tribal, and private lands. Protecting drivers and wildlife go hand in hand here, and we’ll continue fighting to ensure this language makes it all the way through to law.”

“Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading drivers of biodiversity loss, fueling a worsening extinction crisis that threatens not only wildlife, but also the health of the critical ecosystems we rely on for our basic needs,” said Kate Wall, Senior Legislative Manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Wildlife corridors and crossings protect biodiversity by allowing wildlife to move safely in response to ever-changing conditions. These pathways not only help to maintain healthy wildlife populations, they also help protect human health and wellbeing by preventing collisions, promoting resilient ecosystems, and mitigating climate impacts on native species. We applaud the House for including support for wildlife corridors and crossings in the INVEST Act.”

###

Resources:

• An information packet on the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act can be found here.
• A list of wildlife crossing and road mitigation job creation projects that would benefit from federal infrastructure and stimulus funding can be found here.

Contacts:

Center for Large Landscape Conservation: Anna Wearn, 406-578-1579, anna@largelandscapes.org

Wildlands Network: Susan Holmes, 202-329-1553, susan@wildlandsnetwork.org

National Parks Conservation Association: Kati Schmidt, 415-847-1768, kschmidt@npca.org

The post Landmark Legislation to Protect Wildlife Corridors Passes U.S. House of Representatives appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.