Wildlands Network

Protecting local ecosystems - we preserve and restore key local ecosystems to maintain the physical and biological integrity that will allow wildlife to move across their historic ranges and for their habitats to thrive. In 2022, we monitored recently released beavers in Utah, tested a new machine-learning method for estimating prairie dog colony-size in new mexico, assessed impacts of the border wall on wildlife of the san bernardino national wildlife refuge in Arizona, evaluated prey diversity in the red wolf recovery areas of north carolina, held stakeholder workshops in new england to establish a common frame for the preservation of current and future old-growth forests, continued monitoring impacts of vehicles on wildlife along four priority highways of northwest mexico, and supported local communities in protecting thick-billed parrots nesting grounds from forest fires in the state of chihuahua, mexico. Collectively our actions address habitat persistence and connectivity gaps throughout north america, in close collaboration with local partners and stakeholders.

Transforming transportation networks - we advance projects that reduce, minimize, or eliminate collisions caused by wildlife crossing roads and other transportation networks. In 2022 we published a report about our 2- year investigation into patterns of wildlife activity and wildlife road mortality along a 28-mile stretch of interstate 40 at the border of north carolina and Tennessee. Our findings will enable the siting and design of wildlife road crossings to mitigate the critical barrier to habitat connectivity formed by the highway. We also completed an expert-driven analysis of the top 20 places to put wildlife road crossings across all of north carolina. In California we completed a full year of monitoring wildlife usage of dozens of underpasses and culverts along another key highway along the eastern edge of the sierra mountains. We completed the first year of a project in western north carolina documenting use of 3 culverts by timber rattlesnakes and other wildlife; these culverts were installed to help wildlife cross a newly built state park road but never monitored.

Advancing innovative policy - we advance the adoption of legal frameworks built around the needs of nature. In 2022, we created a federal wildlife corridor action plan that included a suite of suggested federal policies that the administration could engage in to bolster and restore habitat connectivity on federal lands. The biden administration adopted many of the recommendations within our plan through the first-of-its-kind white house council of environmental quality interagency guidance for federal departments and agencies on ecological connectivity and wildlife corridors. In 2022, the bureau of land management also issued landmark guidance on how the agency can plan and manage for habitat connectivity on public lands, which was in line with our recommendations to the administration. At the state level, we secured state commitments to protect wildlife corridors through legislative victories in California, Colorado, new mexico, Oregon, and Utah. We continued making the banning of mining in mexico's natural protected areas a legislative priority. We organized and plan to co-host a think tank of legal experts in early 2023 to develop law and policy recommendations to support the conservation of 30% of lands and waters by 2030.