Healthy and thriving big game herds are key to the ecosystems where they live. One contributor to their health and well-being is the ability for species to move across a given landscape, or migrate, to escape harsh winter conditions, find nutritious forage and avoid predators. So, to go full circle, knowing where migratory corridors are located, and keeping them intact is vital to herd health.  

Wildlife migration corridors continue to be of national interest. A recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Committee examined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s budget. Below is an exchange between one of the committee members and the USFWS director. 

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA): “In your previous role as director of Wyoming's Game and Fish Department, you were working with stakeholders to identify and conserve wildlife migration corridors. We talked about this during the hearing process. Now, under the first Trump administration, then-Secretary Zinke issued Secretarial Order 3362 which directs the Department of Interior to work in partnership with western states to improve the quality of big game winter range and migration corridor habitats on federal lands. Through that order, the Department of Interior has provided millions of dollars in funding for priority projects, for data analysis and for mapping assistance for western state wildlife agencies. And over the last two Congresses, I've been able to work with now Congressman Zinke and Congressman Beyer on the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act, which would codify the great work done through the order and expand its scope to cover all 50 states. So, director, can you highlight why the work done through this order is so important to conserving habitat and protecting migration corridors, and would you support codifying this program?” 

USFWS Director Brian Nesvik: “Senator, something that, as you mentioned, I worked on extensively in the past, and you know the really important parts of the migration corridor work that's been done to under this secretarial order, and also under the leadership of many of the state agencies in the West, is that these efforts have all been focused on voluntary work that doesn't require, you know, federal designations like a federally designated migration corridor. Those were things that were hard lines in the sand that nobody ever wanted to cross had to remain voluntary, had to keep that regulatory directive kind of approach out of it, and because of that, and because it was state-led, and states were able to look at their data for their particular state and say this is where we have issues with wildlife movement, they developed a plan, and that was the basis for how the executive order was implemented. That's why it was so successful, and that's why it's survived three administrations now, and so certainly there's opportunities to continue that work. 

Click here to view the hearing. 

Hunt 2 Conserve sees eye-to-eye with groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation that strongly support protecting and conserving wildlife migration corridors, which ensures the future of big game and the future of hunting. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks)