Measure passed by Pa. House aims to protect state’s wildlife habitat
In April, video of a mama bear herding three cubs across a road in Adams County as motorists waited for the family to get from one side to the other went viral, racking up nearly 4 million views.
Scenes like this are becoming more common, as deer, skunks, black bears and other wildlife are routinely forced to navigate the grid of roadways, fences, walls, and other obstacles that have been built amid their habitat and migration corridors over past decades.
Roads and other human-made obstacles have negatively impacted wildlife in a number of ways, reducing their ability to migrate, find mates, establish new territories, and limiting their access to food and water.
In April, the Pennsylvania House voted 129-72 to approve a bipartisan resolution, House Resolution 87, to help protect Pennsylvania’s critical animal habitats and determine the location of wildlife corridors.
HR 87, introduced by state Reps. Jason Ortitay (Washington and Allegheny counties) and Mary Jo Delay (Montgomery County), directs the House Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study and issue a report on the status, management and benefits of wildlife corridors.
The resolution also better positions Pennsylvania as the Federal Highway Administration begins to roll out a five-year $350 million competitive grant program to fund wildlife crossings across the country, according to PennEnvironment.
“I think it’s a really innovative and doable conservation tactic,” said Anthony Bastian of Pennsylvania Habitat Connectivity. “Pennsylvania is home to the largest contiguous forest between New York and Denver, but our wilderness is increasingly broken up by roads, energy infrastructure and development, creating barriers that are harder and harder for our wildlife to cross.”
Stephanie Wein, clean water and conservation advocate at PennEnvironment, said HR 87 is an important first step toward Pennsylvania’s diverse native wildlife species.
“From the monarch butterfly to elk and from black bear to our state bird, the ruffed grouse, HR 87 can make sure that incredible species can call Pennsylvania home, now and for future generations,” said Wein.
Fragmented landscapes present danger to both animals and humans. Every year, Pennsylvania is among the five worst states nationwide for wildlife-vehicle collisions. According to State Farm data, 166,000 animal collision claims were filed in Pennsylvania from July 2020 to June 2021, the highest number in the country.
Nationwide, drivers hit upwards of 2 million animals in that span.
“Wildlife-vehicle collisions not only result in costly vehicle repairs, but also injuries and even death to humans and wildlife,” said Ortitay. “We should make every effort to reduce these incidents, and conservation corridors are one way to do so. I’m hopeful this study will offer ideas to better use this technique.”
Wildlife corridors are strips of natural habitat – including overpasses and underpasses – that link wildlife populations that are otherwise separated by manmade development.
They allow wildlife populations more hunting, foraging, migration and mating options.
“House Resolution 87 is that important first step to reconnecting our natural heritage in the commonwealth,” says Ortitay.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 12 states have enacted legislation or issued an executive order on wildlife corridors in recent years.
In Montana, a 56-mile road stretch of U.S. Highway 93 North features 41 fish and wildlife crossing structures, including underpasses and overpasses.
Fences installed along portions of the highway direct the wildlife into safe corridors, and cameras have recorded several species using the structures, including grizzly bears, deer, elk, cougars, and other wild animals.
Wein noted long stretches of the state also are part of the vast Atlantic Flyway for billions of migratory birds.
Said Wein, “It matters to Pennsylvania and its own wildlife, but it has global and hemispheric importance.”
Bastian is hoping Pennsylvania – of which about 59% is forested but isn’t contiguous – becomes a model for how states provide wildlife corridors for its species.
“Our hope is this legislation will provide, literally, a road map for government, land trusts, watershed groups and private land owners to look at a bigger vision of what wildlife needs,” he said.