BOZEMAN, MT (December 3, 2025) – Today, Dr. Mary Pearl, Board Chair of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), announced that Brendan Moynahan will become the next CEO of CLLC in January 2026, succeeding founder and CEO Gary Tabor. Moynahan is Chief, Wildlife Conservation Branch, National Park Service and a nationally recognized leader in wildlife science, conservation, and policy.

“Brendan Moynahan combines the expertise, skills, and experience that will make him an excellent CEO for CLLC, and is a worthy successor to our founder,” said Dr. Pearl. “He has worked at the intersection of connectivity conservation science and human community sustainability while shaping conservation policy. He has led population and habitat connectivity initiatives and implemented at-risk species recovery in consultation with all stakeholders. He possesses all of the critical qualities CLLC needs in its next leader: demonstrated commitment to science, policy, and connectivity; a keen understanding of the critical importance that wildlife connectivity plays in communities; and the ability to help CLLC further its work as a leading voice in the U.S. and global connectivity sector.”

Moynahan has spent nearly two decades working in conservation. In his role as Chief, Wildlife Conservation Branch, National Park Service, he led the development of the 2020 Bison Conservation Initiative. This effort secured $25 million in funding for bison conservation and resulted in a commitment to a continental-scale metapopulation system, new forms of historically significant relationships through shared stewardship with Tribes, and a signed trilateral Letter of Intent to Collaborate on North American Bison Conservation among the federal governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. His work included the coordination and facilitation of approximately 100 natural and cultural resource investigations totaling $10 million in investments.

“I have admired and respected the work of CLLC for years and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as its next CEO. I look forward to partnering with the CLLC staff and board to build upon two decades of conservation results rooted in technical excellence and authentic partnerships,” said Moynahan, incoming CEO of CLLC. “It is an honor to succeed Gary Tabor. The sector owes Gary a tremendous thanks for the groundbreaking work he has done to elevate the importance of wildlife conservation and connectivity. I am committed to ensuring CLLC remains a leader in advancing innovative solutions to keep natural and human systems undivided.”

Moynahan’s appointment follows an extensive national and international search led by DSG/Koya, which began when Tabor announced that he would step down after leading the organization since its inception. Tabor not only founded CLLC but helped to create the field of ecological connectivity. In CLLC, he leaves in place a strong voice and advocate for the needs of wildlife and communities in this time of unprecedented urbanization and development.

“Congratulations to Brendan Moynahan as he prepares to take on the leadership of CLLC,” said Tabor. “His experience working with multiple conservation stakeholders (government, nonprofit, and community) will undoubtedly serve as a tremendous asset to the organization and the sector.”

Prior to his tenure at the National Park Service, Moynahan was a Supervisory Wildlife Biologist at the National Bison Range Refuge Complex with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, managing a biological program focused on plains bison conservation, migratory birds, and remnant Palouse prairie. He also worked as a Program Manager for the Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network in Juneau, Alaska, where he implemented a landscape-scale monitoring program for all national parks in Southeast Alaska and established interagency agreements with external partners for seabird, intertidal, hydrologic, oceanographic, and environmental contaminants monitoring and research.

Moynahan holds a Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana where he received his M.S. in Resource Conservation. He completed a B.A. in Political Science with a focus on environmental policy at Bates College.

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. Largelandscapes.org

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CONTACT: Christine Weinheimer, christine@largelandscapes.org

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NEWS RELEASE

BOZEMAN, MT, July 1, 2025 — The Board of Directors of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) announced today that the organization’s visionary founder, Gary Tabor, will retire from his role as CEO of CLLC.

Mary Pearl, Chair of the CLLC Board of Directors, made the announcement: “Gary Tabor let the Board know of his plans to retire from his role as CEO after leading this organization since he founded it eighteen years ago in 2007. Through CLLC he developed an entirely new sector of conservation theory and practice, and all of us at CLLC are grateful to Gary for his leadership, drive and service. The Board will now begin the task of identifying his successor while we celebrate Gary’s contribution to our collective goals in large landscape conservation and ecological connectivity.”

Gary stated, “It has been the joy of my professional life to have founded CLLC, to have worked with such inspiring colleagues and to have built together the field of connectivity science. Starting with only two employees, CLLC currently employs around 25 dedicated conservation professionals and operates 10 networks of experts and institutions supporting more than 2,000 conservation practitioners around the world to connect habitat and protect species and ecological systems. CLLC is well positioned to continue to extend its influence and impact in the years ahead.”

With Tabor at the helm, CLLC helped craft national legislation on wildlife corridors and crossings, co-authored the first-ever international guidelines on ecological connectivity and created groundbreaking scientific tools for measuring and combating habitat fragmentation, among many other accomplishments. By any measure, Tabor has had an extraordinary career in a broad range of conservation science and practice, including co-authoring more than 100 scientific papers and reports. Not only a pioneer in connectivity science for the past 40 years, Tabor was also a leader in the field linking environmental change to human, wildlife and ecosystem health, Conservation Medicine and One Health.

After retiring as CEO of the Center, Tabor will continue as a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University and adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, Australia. He also serves as Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, which connects 1,300 scientists from 135 countries.

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation will welcome a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as part of a thoughtfully planned transition from its founder. The firm DSG|Koya is leading an international search for an individual who will be able to build on Gary Tabor’s extraordinary legacy.

More information about the executive search is available on DSG|Koya’s website.

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. Largelandscapes.org

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For more information, contact:

Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
christine@largelandscapes.org 406-586-8082

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NEWS RELEASE

May 13, 2025

Bozeman, MT — On May 8, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law that will help keep drivers and wildlife safe on the state’s roadways. House Bill 855—Establish FWP Wildlife Highway Crossings and Accommodations Account—creates a dedicated fund and authorizes a new state specialty license plate expected to generate up to $160,000 per year. Revenues from sales of the plate will help contribute to the planning, design, and construction of wildlife crossing structures, which have been proven to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) supported the bill as part of its work to advance solutions that reconnect fragmented wildlife habitat in Montana and globally.

“After strong bipartisan backing in committee and passage by the Montana House and Senate, this legislation marks a significant step toward addressing wildlife-vehicle collisions in Montana,” said CLLC road ecologist Kylie Paul. “We supported this bill because it will help keep our Montana wildlife and drivers safe and we appreciate the hard work of everyone involved in making this bill come to fruition.”

Montana has the second-highest rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions per capita in the nation; in 10 years, drivers in the state hit well over 60,000 large animals. Fifty-four people have died in wildlife-vehicle collisions in the state in 10 years. And these collisions cost Montana more than $200 million annually.  

“It’s dangerous and scary and it’s expensive,” Paul said.

The data in Montana and around the world demonstrates that wildlife crossing structures like underpasses, overpasses, and associated fencing are effective at reducing collisions by 80 to 100 percent and successful at keeping wildlife moving through the landscape. The science of where these crossings are needed in Montana is also increasingly clear, from data collection, mapping, and assessments from CLLC, state agencies and partner groups.

Through the Montanans for Safe Wildlife Passage coalition and the Montana Wildlife and Transportation Partnership, state agencies, organizations, and the public are working hard to decrease wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnect fragmented habitat. Several highway crossing projects in the state are in various stages of moving ahead or in the wings waiting for further funding for construction.  

In addition to license plate sales, the account created by the signing of this new law has the potential to house funding from sources made possible by other legislative bills.

“This license plate account is an important first step to pull together the necessary resources to advance wildlife crossing structures,” Paul said. “We are eager to see these structures built so they can save lives and help keep Montana wildlife on the move.”

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. Largelandscapes.org

CONTACT:

Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
406-586-8082

Photo: US-93 Overpass, Montana – CLLC/Gabe Oppler

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Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Montana Department of Transportation

NEWS RELEASE

October 9, 2024

Bozeman, MT ─ In early September, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) applied to the federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program (WCPP) for a discretionary grant to help fund a $26-million project that includes a new wildlife overpass, upgrades to an existing underpass, and a bridge retrofit to allow wildlife to pass safely over and beneath US Highway 191 in Southwest Montana. Through the Montana Wildlife and Transportation Partnership (MWTP), MDT teamed with the Bozeman-based, nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) to move the grant application forward.

US-191 parallels the Gallatin River, cutting through critical habitat for resident, wide-ranging, and migratory species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Yet tourism and population growth have led to an increase in wildlife-vehicle conflicts along this route. Within the project area, 24% of all crashes are collisions with wildlife—more than double the statewide average of 10%.

In 2023, the US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment published by CLLC and Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute identified 11 priority sites suitable for crossing structures to reduce collisions and reconnect habitat along the 80-mile stretch of highway between Four Corners and West Yellowstone. Since then, MDT and CLLC have worked closely with community partners to address the top priority site located from just south of Gallatin Gateway to the mouth of Gallatin Canyon. Community support enabled CLLC to commission an engineering feasibility study to assess potential structures and associated fencing that would allow safe passage for wildlife over or below US-191.

“The aim of the assessment was to provide the data and recommend science-based solutions to help decision-makers address wildlife-vehicle collisions on 191,” explains CLLC Road Ecologist Liz Fairbank, the study’s lead author. “Due to overwhelming community interest, we took on fundraising and more to ensure a grant application could be submitted. The generosity of companies, nonprofits, and landowners who care about driver safety as well as safe passage for wildlife has been tremendous,” says Fairbank.

One of the requirements of the highly competitive WCPP, offered by the Federal Highway Administration, is a non-federal match, with $3.5 million required for the $22.8 million grant request. CLLC has secured pledges from businesses, nonprofit organizations, and private donors, and is continuing to fundraise to achieve this goal. Lone Mountain Land Company and the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation have provided the majority of matching funds. The grant application included 23 letters that demonstrate project support from Montana’s congressional representatives, federal, state, and local agencies, sportsmen’s organizations, nonprofits, and landowners.

“It’s to the credit of CLLC and the Montana Wildlife and Transportation Partnership, that MDT is able to pursue this grant,” said MDT Chief Operating Officer Dwane Kailey. “CLLC conducted a sound assessment, worked with us to develop a viable project solution, and raised the matching funds if we are awarded the grant.”

The MWTP, launched in 2020, facilitates collaboration between MDT, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), and Montanans for Safe Wildlife Passage. MWTP is working with other entities through the program to facilitate wildlife accommodation projects like this in other parts of the state

“Wildlife crossings are critical for maintaining the health of our ecosystems and ensuring the safety of both wildlife and motorists,” says Warren Hansen, FWP Region 3 Wildlife Manager. “By providing safe passage across busy roadways, like US 191 south of Gallatin Gateway, we not only reduce vehicle collisions but also promote habitat connectivity, which is essential for sustaining Montana’s rich biodiversity.”

Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program awards are expected to be announced in early 2025. Updates on this effort will be posted on CLLC’s website at largelandscapes.org/191.

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation 

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. largelandscapes.org

About the Montana Department of Transportation

At MDT, our mission is to plan, build, operate, and maintain a safe and resilient transportation system to move Montana forward. For more information about MDT and the work we do on behalf of Montana’s traveling public, visit https://www.mdt.mt.gov/

CONTACTS:

Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager, Center for Large Landscape Conservation
christine@largelandscapes.org
406-586-8082

Charity Burns, Public Information Officer, Montana Department of Transportation
chburns@mt.gov
406-444-3821

_{Top photo: Elk herd crossing road – Adobe Stock}

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NEWS RELEASE

March 18, 2024

BOZEMAN, MT ─ A century ago, an estimated 100,000 elephants roamed throughout Asia. Today, fewer than half that number of Asian elephants remain in just 13 countries. Among the reasons for this decline is the explosion of new roads, railways and other linear infrastructure across the continent. In fact, collisions with cars and trains are a leading cause of elephant mortality in India, and many more elephants are impacted by roads and railways causing habitat loss and fragmentation. 

In response, The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) and its partners in the Asian Elephant Transport Working Group (AsETWG) announce the publication of the first elephant-specific handbook to help countries reduce collisions and provide safe passage for elephants. The Handbook to Mitigate the Impacts of Roads and Railways on Asian Elephants was co-authored by two CLLC staff members alongside nine other experts on elephants and transport ecology from the AsETWG—a joint collaboration of the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group and the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group comprised of more than 30 volunteer experts. It aims to provide workable solutions for transportation planners and engineers to protect Asian elephants from the negative impacts of roads and railways. 

“Elephants need to move to survive—to find food, water, and mates. In some cases, new roads and railways are being built right across ancient Asian elephant migration routes,“ says CLLC Senior Conservationist Rob Ament, who is Co-chair of the AsETWG and co-author of the Handbook. 

Ament says such impacts will grow in the future, given the rapid pace of LI development in Asia, so avoiding and mitigating the impacts of roads and railways is essential for conserving this endangered species. 

“This Handbook gives specific recommendations for reducing the harmful impacts of roads and railways by providing expert-informed guidance on designing larger, elephant-specific crossings,” says Ament. 

“This publication combines decades of experience from the contributors and is a prime example of collaboration across sectors and political boundaries to tackle a serious conservation issue,” adds CLLC International Connectivity Project Specialist Melissa Butynski, who is Coordinator of the AsETWG and co-author of the Handbook. 

“People living and working in countries with Asian elephants see the very real threats from linear infrastructure this incredible species faces,” says Butynski. “There is a sense of urgency to act before it’s too late.” 

Today, Asian elephants are listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and only an estimated 52,000 elephants remain in populations increasingly isolated from one another in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. 

The authors plan to introduce the Handbook’s recommendations within these countries and help facilitate next steps for solutions via webinars and in-person workshops for engineers, transportation planners, policymakers, financiers, government officials, conservationists and researchers. 

Vivek Menon, Co-founder of Wildlife Trust of India, Chair of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group and author of the Handbook’s foreword, wrote, “I hope these guidelines find wide usage across the elephant range and that it is adapted and translated into local languages, so that its use across all 13 countries that still have the Asian elephant is encouraged.” 

View the Handbook here

 
The Handbook to Mitigate the Impacts of Roads and Railways on Asian Elephants was made possible through the support of the International Connectivity Program at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, World Wildlife Fund, Whitley Fund for Nature and Friends. It was also supported in part by the Asia’s Linear Infrastructure safeGuarding Nature (ALIGN) Project, which aims to enhance the development and implementation of effective, high-quality linear infrastructure safeguards that protect people and nature from harm. The ALIGN Project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 

About the Asian Elephant Transport Working Group 

The Asian Elephant Transport Working Group serves as the hub of expertise, synthesis, integration, practical guidance, and technical support to deliver practical, flexible, and science-based solutions that avoid and mitigate threats to Asian elephants posed by linear transportation infrastructure across all 13 range states. It is a joint collaboration of the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group and the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG). conservationcorridor.org/ccsg/working-groups/asetwg 

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation 

The Montana, USA-based Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. The Center coordinates the Asian Elephant Transport Working Group as part of their role as Secretariat of the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG) largelandscapes.org 

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CONTACT: 

Christine Weinheimer 
Communications Manager 
Center for Large Landscape Conservation 
communications@largelandscapes.org 

Top photo: Asian elephant with automobile. Credit: stbaumgaertner via Pixabay 

The post New Push to Protect Endangered Asian Elephants from Roads and Railways appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

NEWS RELEASE

September 28, 2023

Bozeman, MT ─ The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. But as the numbers of area residents and annual visitors have grown, so has the incidence of wildlife-vehicle collisions. On US Highway 191 (US-191) through and around Yellowstone National Park, large mammals like elk and deer are hit with increasing frequency and rising traffic volumes make it harder for wildlife to access habitat on either side. To address these problems, a team from the nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) and Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute (WTI) embarked upon a two-year study to better understand wildlife movement and improve road safety along this busy route.

The US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment, which was published today, identifies 11 “priority sites,” where highway mitigation measures—such as culverts, underpasses, overpasses, animal detection systems, traffic-calming measures, and fencing—could improve the safety of travelers and wildlife.

US-191 between West Yellowstone and Four Corners, Montana, winds along the Gallatin River and passes through national forest and national park lands, providing travelers access to Yellowstone National Park. MT-64 (Lone Mountain Trail) leads to the community of Big Sky along the way. The Montana Department of Transportation and Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team documented 1,322 animal carcasses from 2011-2020 in this study area. According to estimates from a recent national study, these collisions cost more than $27 million in personal injury and property damage. This figure soars to over $60 million if the passive use value of wildlife—which includes the ability of species to remain on the landscape—is included.

“Collisions involving wildlife make up 24% of all reported crashes on US-191 between Four Corners and Beaver Creek.* That’s nearly five times the national average,” says CLLC Road Ecologist Elizabeth Fairbank, who co-authored the study.

“The study’s data show that we have a stretch of highway that not only poses a safety risk to people and wildlife, but also fragments habitat, all at a significant cost to the public,” explains Fairbank. “As the road’s traffic volume continues to increase, animals are less likely to be able to cross the road safely, increasing collision risk and reducing the ability of wildlife to move freely to access the resources they need to thrive and survive.”

Dr. Marcel Huijser, senior scientist for WTI and study co-author said that the assessment team synthesized data from multiple public agencies to identify particularly troublesome areas for safety and wildlife movement.

“We overlaid information on wildlife-vehicle collisions, animal carcass counts, wildlife movement, and suitable habitat, and identified sites where potential mitigation measures could improve road safety and connectivity for wildlife,” says Huijser.

Citizen scientists from local communities played a key role in the effort by reporting sightings of live or dead wildlife using a smartphone app from the Roadkill Observation and Data System (ROaDS) that was developed by WTI and managed by CLLC for the project.

“Once we analyzed the data, our research team conducted field visits with representatives of federal, state and county agencies with expertise in wildlife, engineering and transportation planning,” said Huijser. “We did this to help confirm the priority locations that would benefit most from mitigation measures to protect wildlife and motorists, and how they would fit into the landscape given the topography, streams and rivers, and land use.”

The assessment considered not just terrestrial wildlife, but also the ability of fish to pass through culverts underneath the road. The aquatic research was led by WTI hydraulic engineer Dr. Matthew Blank, who evaluated the potential “barrier effect” of 53 culverts along streams under US-191 and MT-64. Upsizing culverts to improve fish passage can provide co-benefits for other wildlife as well as make infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather events and high stream flows. 

“There are often opportunities when you create larger, wider fish passage structures, to provide safe passage for terrestrial species as well,” said Blank.

The full report on the assessment is available online, and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation will share the key findings with Gallatin County residents through a series of Community Information Sessions in Big Sky, Gallatin Gateway, and West Yellowstone. Together with elected officials and public agencies, area communities will determine how to act on the assessment’s findings. If they choose to pursue wildlife accommodation measures, they could apply for federal funding through various programs, including the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, a competitive grant program continuing through fiscal year 2026.

Infrastructure design and implementation processes often take five years or more to make it through the programming, feasibility, design, and funding phases that are necessary prior to construction. Thus, the assessment describes shorter-term measures—that could be enacted within two to five years—as well as longer-term options for each priority site.

“This is an important first step in a long process. It is going to be a multi-year effort involving many different partners,” says Fairbank. “There is no quick fix but, in the end, a variety of measures put in place over time will make these roads safer for travelers and wildlife, while improving habitat connectivity.”

The assessment was funded by the Big Sky Resort Area District, Moonlight Community Foundation, Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, The Volgenau Foundation, and the Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM).

For more information: largelandscapes.org/191

^{*Montana Department of Transportation (2020)}

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Montana-based Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. largelandscapes.org

About the Western Transportation Institute

The Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University is the country’s largest university-based research center focused on rural transportation issues. westerntransportationinstitute.org

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Contact: Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, communications@largelandscapes.org

Photos, top to bottom: Elk in oncoming traffic in US-191 – courtesy of Holly Pippel; US-191 and the Gallatin River near Big Sky, MT – Adobe Stock; US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment report cover.

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NEWS RELEASE

September 13, 2023

Bozeman, MT ─ As our nation’s highways get bigger and busier, wildlife habitat and populations become more fragmented, and wild animals find it increasingly difficult to safely cross roads. The wildlife-vehicle collisions that kill more than one million large mammals each year in the U.S. also cause hundreds of human fatalities and tens of thousands of injuries. To help address this dangerous problem to both wildlife and people, the nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute, and Dr. David Theobald with Conservation Planning Technologies have published the results of the West-Wide Study to Identify Important Highway Locations for Wildlife Crossings.  

The study highlights road segments in 11 western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It takes a fresh approach by integrating ecological, economic, and safety considerations to identify the sections of highway across the West that are best served by future wildlife crossings with fencing. 

“This study is unique,” explains Kylie Paul, road ecologist at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and co-author of the study. “Rather than primarily focusing on wildlife-vehicle collision locations, we used several factors to highlight locations where building a wildlife crossing structure might address conservation needs and cost savings, in addition to the standard focus on human safety. Additionally, we looked across the West and at states individually to help provide a regional context,” says Paul.  

It is one of the first studies to look at all western states with a consistent regional methodological approach, providing comparable analyses for each state. It offers information to help federal and state agencies and other stakeholders focus in on areas to further examine where wildlife crossings can be deployed. Other studies have been conducted in individual states and this new West-wide study is meant to complement or supplement previous analyses. Those studies may have finer-scale and local data that may highlight different locations and capture local context not considered here, and this study is not meant to replace or outweigh those locations.

The study finds that wildlife-vehicle collisions with species like deer cost a minimum of $1.6 billion per year across the western U.S.  “Implementing wildlife crossings—underpasses or overpasses with fencing—more extensively could significantly reduce roadways’ impacts on wildlife,” says study co-author Matthew Bell, research engineer at the Western Transportation Institute. Bell explains that the study used updated collision and wildlife crossing structure economic cost values to highlight locations where the cost of building a crossing structure is less expensive than the cost of letting wildlife-vehicle collisions continue.  

“We showed that in several hundred locations across the West, constructing a crossing structure and fencing would actually be cheaper over the long-term than doing nothing, while also enhancing wildlife conservation efforts,” says Bell.  

The study comes at a time of increased interest, momentum, and policies for building wildlife crossings and implementing other mitigation measures in the U.S., including $350 million in federal funding from the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

The three main components of the study are available online and include the full report containing both the West-wide analysis and 11 individual state analyses, plus a mapping website where users can examine the results at a variety of scales, select different map layers of interest, and download the data.  

The West-Wide Study was funded in part by a generous grant from The Volgenau Foundation.

For more information and to view full report: largelandscapes.org/west-wide-study 

About the Authors

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. largelandscapes.org

The Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University is the country’s largest university based research center focused on rural transportation issues. westerntransportationinstitute.org

Dr. David Theobald is a science advisor to the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and a research scientist at Conservation Planning Technologies in Fort Collins, Colorado, a company which he founded in 2013.

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Contact: Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, communications@largelandscapes.org

Photos, top to bottom: Wildlife crossing, U.S. Route 95 in Nevada – Adobe Stock; Example of wildlife overpass, aerial view – Adobe Stock

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NEWS RELEASE

BOZEMAN, MONTANA (18 July 2023) – The planet is experiencing unprecedented levels of land conversion and habitat loss, often in the most biologically rich ecosystems. Despite the well-known societal and economic benefits of infrastructure, indiscriminate development of roads, railways and canals increasingly threatens biodiversity. Endangered Asian elephants are regularly hit by trains; American bison are struck just outside Yellowstone National Park; and road construction opens the door to runaway deforestation, even deep in the Amazon Rainforest.

Today, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – the world’s premier biodiversity organization – released its first in-depth publication on the challenges and solutions of safeguarding biodiversity during linear transport infrastructure (LTI) development. The report, by IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas’ (WCPA) Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG) and its Transport Working Group (TWG), in collaboration with the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, addresses ecological connectivity during the building of roads, railways and canals. It provides information critical for the conservation of wildlife and the protection of nature in the face of rapid LTI development sweeping the globe.

Addressing ecological connectivity in the development of roads, railways and canals provides an overview of practical, feasible, science-based strategies for protected and conserved area (PCA) managers, transport practitioners, industry, conservationists, and other interested stakeholders to reduce the impacts of infrastructure on the environment. From planning and design to construction, operations, and monitoring, the report synthesizes the state of the field and offers a way forward.

Ecological connectivity is defined as the unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth. Fragmentation of landscapes caused by human activities such as LTI development disrupts this connectivity that is essential for healthy ecosystems.

The unprecedented rate of LTI development such as roads, railways and canals is a key driver of global biodiversity decline. Direct impacts include habitat degradation, fragmentation and loss, species mortality, and the creation of physical barriers and filters to wildlife movement and ecological flows. Other impacts include pollution from noise, light, vibration and chemicals, air and water quality degradation, the spread of invasive alien species and changes in hydrology and microclimate. As intact areas with high biodiversity values become more accessible, an assortment of indirect problems can arise, such as increased rates of poaching; illegal mining, logging, and other extractive industries; increased frequency and intensity of wildfires; land speculation; and illegal settlement.

Addressing these impacts requires more focused attention, increased technical skills, and a better-trained workforce as the demand for LTI grows precipitously around the world, especially in developing countries. Planners and decision-makers must strike a balance between the anticipated socio-economic benefits of LTI with the challenges of safeguarding healthy ecosystems, ecological connectivity, and biodiversity.

This report takes inspiration from the great diversity of local, national, and transboundary connectivity conservation efforts already underway. In recent years, the importance of ecological connectivity has been recognized in international policy as a critical component of safeguarding biodiversity and building resilience to climate change, most notably in the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The technical report also builds on the 2020 publication of IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors, which laid out the imperative for conserving ecological connectivity to maximize the effectiveness of PCAs. In so doing, the 2020 Guidelines underscored the importance of avoiding and mitigating the impacts of LTI on connectivity; now this technical report provides the roadmap for practitioners.

Over the course of more than three years, Addressing ecological connectivity in the development of roads, railways and canals has benefited from contributions from over 30 experts from six continents. It is expected to increase awareness and inspire commitment, the allocation of resources, good governance, and effective policies. Combined, these actions will contribute to more successful conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and resilient landscapes.

Addressing ecological connectivity in the development of roads, railways and canals is the fifth volume in the IUCN WCPA Technical Report Series.

Access and download the Technical Report from the IUCN Library at this link: www.doi.org/10.53847/IUCN.CH.2023.PATRS.5.en

Quotes:

“Many countries are struggling to protect nature as they develop LTI. We hope the guidance provided in this Technical Report will inspire them to improve their policies and practices.” – Robert Ament, Senior Conservationist, Center for Large Landscape Conservation and Co-Chair, IUCN WCPA CCSG Transport Working Group

“A key driver of biodiversity decline is the unprecedented global rate of linear transport infrastructure development, highlighting a critically urgent need to develop workable solutions. This technical guidance is hugely relevant to practitioners grappling with the issue of maintaining ecological connectivity and integrity within protected and conserved area systems.” – Dr. Madhu Rao, Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas

“This report comes at a pivotal time. There is strong, global recognition of the importance of ecological connectivity as a key priority for addressing biodiversity loss. Addressing ecological connectivity in linear transport infrastructure will not only benefit millions of migratory animals across the planet, it will also contribute to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and other global challenges. ” – Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

About the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

IUCN helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, non-governmental organisations, the United Nations and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practices. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, with more than 1,400 members from government and non-governmental organisations and more than 15,000 volunteer experts. IUCN’s work is supported by around 950 staff in more than 50 countries and hundreds of partners in public, non-governmental organisations and private sectors around the world. www.iucn.org

About the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)

IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world’s premier network of protected and conserved areas expertise. The Commission has over 2,500 members spanning 140 countries who provide strategic advice to policymakers and work to strengthen capacity and investment for protected areas establishment and management. The Technical Reports series is one of the Commission’s flagship products, providing timely guidance on aspects of protected area planning, management and assessment. Learn more 

About the WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG)

CCSG was established in 2016 under the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to support information sharing, active participation, global awareness, and action to maintain, enhance, and restore ecological connectivity conservation around the world. Its objective is to advance the science, policy, and practice at international, national, and subnational levels to meet the growing demand for solutions that advance the identification, recognition, and implementation of consistent connectivity conservation measures. Learn more at CCSG page and www.conservationcorridor.org/ccsg

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC)

CLLC develops solutions, implements projects and contributes to global efforts that connect and protect crucial habitat across terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. It provides expertise through four key focus areas: science, policy, mentorship and networking, and on-the-ground project implementation. By bringing knowledge and experience to bear on connectivity conservation issues worldwide, the Center works with communities, governments and other stakeholders to stop fragmentation and safeguard the legacy of protected and conserved areas by making them part of larger ecological networks for conservation. Learn more at www.largelandscapes.org

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Contacts: Robert Ament,  Anthony Clevenger, and Rodney van der Ree (editors)

For more information about the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group and its Transport Working Group, contact the Secretariat:  Gary Tabor, Chair and Aaron Laur, Executive Officer.

Photo: Asian elephant and machinery, Malaysia – CLLC/Gary Tabor

The post Just Published: ‘Addressing Ecological Connectivity in the Development of Roads, Railways, and Canals’ appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

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.

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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.

NEWS RELEASE

February 14, 2023

Contact:
Christine Gianas Weinheimer, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, christine@largelandscapes.org
Makensie Brown, Wildlands Network, makensie@wildlandsnetwork.org
Emily Diamond-Falk, The Pew Charitable Trusts, ediamond-falk@pewtrusts.org
Kyle Kissock, Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, kyle@jhwildlife.org
Stephen Sautner, Wildlife Conservation Society, ssautner@wcs.org

Washington, DC – More than a dozen climate, wildlife, and road ecology experts from across the country wrote a consensus statement urging government officials at all levels to consider climate change when planning and constructing structures that help fish and wildlife cross under and over highways. As the appetite increases for solutions that improve wildlife migration and movement while reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, there is a heightened need and opportunity for designing infrastructure that is sited and designed in ways that accommodate the current and anticipated impacts of climate change.   

The consensus statement can be found here. 

Climate-informed wildlife crossings, including fish passage, would help both people and nature adapt to climate change. For instance, upsizing stream culverts under our roadways would protect infrastructure and communities during extreme flooding, while also allowing both fish and wildlife to successfully migrate.  

The “Joint Statement Regarding Climate-Informed Wildlife Crossings” was first envisioned in November 2022, when leading experts met to discuss how wildlife crossings can serve as an important tool in addressing climate change and bolstering the resilience of ecosystems and infrastructure. The outcome is a set of recommendations for incorporating wildlife crossings as a critical element of community and government climate response strategies. 

The experts cautioned in the statement,

“As effective as wildlife crossings can be, their siting and design too often fail to account for climate impacts. Incorporating these considerations is increasingly important to support climate-driven wildlife movements and range shifts.”

The experts’ statement urges decision makers to use a strategic and collaborative approach when planning for and building wildlife crossings. It also includes a call to action and recommendations for implementing climate-informed wildlife crossings that will enhance ecosystem resilience and facilitate adaptation. Indeed, one of the most effective strategies for protecting biodiversity in the face of a changing climate is to ensure wildlife habitats are connected on a landscape scale. 

Wildlife crossings save lives and money by dramatically reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions. They also enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems by giving animals the ability to safely travel throughout their annual migration routes. Yet climate change is causing species to shift their ranges. The statement emphasizes that wildlife crossings could provide an even greater mitigation value if decision makers account for range shifts when planning new infrastructure.

Additionally, wildlife crossings have an exceptionally high return on investment, yielding annual benefits of $250,000 to $443,000 per structure. For example, the Lava Butte underpass near Bend, Oregon reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by more than 85%, and Utah saw a 98.5% reduction in deer mortalities when it built two animal underpasses on a stretch of highway that blocked traditional migratory routes. Additionally, crossing projects in other states are projected to pay for themselves over a relatively short period of time. 

Some states, such as California, are looking for opportunities to simultaneously address the climate-related vulnerabilities of their transportation systems and improve habitat connectivity by incorporating wildlife crossings into planned infrastructure upgrades. This allows state agencies to address adaptation priorities for both transportation assets and ecosystems, thereby leveraging infrastructure investments for multiple benefits to communities and nature. 

If policy makers and agencies adopt climate-informed planning for wildlife crossings, the result will be a modernized and cost-effective transportation network that saves human and animal lives, enhances the resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems, and improves infrastructure durability in the face of climate impacts.

Quotes for media from Consensus Statement authors:

“Wildlife crossings are a proven solution that enhance the resilience and connectivity of both transportation and ecological networks. By planning and constructing these structures with climate change in mind, we make smarter infrastructure investments. Adopting these expert recommendations will ensure species can move safely across landscapes and drivers can move safely across highways for generations to come.”
– Anna Wearn, director of government affairs at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

“As Federal, Tribal, State, and local decision makers begin to replace their highest priority transportation assets over the next decade-plus, they will be presented with opportunities to improve those facilities in ways that enhance terrestrial and aquatic connectivity, while at the same time making them more resilient and sustainable in the face of our changing climate and increased risk of extreme weather. This coming wave of infrastructure investment offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prototype and integrate the next-generation of climate-smart wildlife crossings into America’s 21st century transportation network.”
– Renee Callahan, executive director of ARC (Animal Road Crossing) Solutions, an interdisciplinary partnership working to reweave habitats severed by roads

“With the increasing frequency of extreme weather events that overwhelm and damage highway drainage culverts and small bridges, oversizing such structures to better accommodate future flooding events can also present opportunities to create cost-effective wildlife passage structures that promote habitat connectivity and climate change resilience for wildlife and highway infrastructure alike.”
– Norris Dodd, wildlife connectivity specialist and practitioner with AZTEC Engineering Group

“The last two decades have seen amazing advances in our understanding of how animals move across the landscape and how wildlife populations are shifting in response to climate change. With guidance from the new expert recommendations, decision makers and planners can harness this wealth of information to ensure our road networks support rather than disrupt these critically important ecological processes.”
– Justin Suraci with Conservation Science Partners

“With the recent infusion of federal infrastructure funding we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade the nation’s transportation systems to be resilient and durable. These recommendations provide the specific guidance for making strategic investments in climate-informed infrastructure with long-lasting benefits for wildlife and ecosystems as well as human communities and economies.”
– Julia Kintsch, principal and senior ecologist at ECO-resolutions

“If we don’t consider the currently changing climate and its impacts at ecologically relevant scales when designing roadway mitigation for wildlife, then we risk missing an important opportunity to plan synergistically, addressing multiple environmental threats at the same time.” – Renee Seidler, executive director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation

“Decision-makers now have important building blocks to develop appropriate policies and funding streams for wildlife-friendly infrastructure that can help adapt to migration pattern changes caused by climate change.”
– Matt Skroch, project director with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ U.S. public lands and rivers conservation project

“Plants and animals have been moving across the landscape to adapt to changing climates for millions of years. By building wildlife road crossing structures the right way in the right places, we can make sure that successful climate migration continues into the future, so we don’t lose species that run into otherwise lethal highway barriers.
– Dr. Ron Sutherland, chief scientist at Wildlands Network

“The good news is there are ways to strategically design crossing structures to provide safer passage for drivers as well as fish and wildlife in the face of a changing future. For example, replacing poorly functioning culverts with ones designed to accommodate bigger and more frequent floods will protect infrastructure and people while also allowing fish to migrate safely. Similarly factoring future climate conditions and wildlife movement needs into the design of all transportation infrastructure will lead to more durable outcomes for both nature and people.”
– Dr. Molly Cross, director of science for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund

“Leaders and practitioners can work to identify the areas where wildlife and fish need to move that are bisected by roads, and where those movements will be critical to adapting to climate change. Our efforts to create a more resilient transportation system in the face of climate change work hand and hand with creating a more connected natural world that too can withstand future changes.”
– Dr. Patricia Cramer, director of the Wildlife Connectivity Institute

“Wildlife crossings are a win-win for people and nature – they help restore the ability of wildlife to move freely across the landscape while keeping motorists safe from collisions. Incorporating climate change considerations into the design of these structures is another win-win, helping ensure our infrastructure investments are resilient to climate impacts while accounting for the even greater movement needs of wildlife as they adapt to rapidly changing landscapes.”
– Dr. Meade Krosby, senior scientist at the Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington

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Top photo: US-160 overpass in Colorado – CDOT

The post Experts Agree on the Need for Climate-informed Wildlife Crossings appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.