Report Calls for More Conservation Corridors to Aid Animals and Motorists | Conservation and Renewable Energy News

Reconnecting fragmented habitats could help Pennsylvania’s wild animals and motorists, a new report says.

The report, “The Current Status of Conservation Connectivity in Pennsylvania,” was authorized last year in legislation sponsored by Reps. Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery, and Jason Ortitay, R-Washington.

It proposes ways to preserve and reconnect wildlife habitats, including forests and agricultural areas. In addition, the report highlights the importance of road crossing structures to aid wildlife movement and migration.

Stephanie Wein, a clean water and conservation advocate at PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center, said the report is a first step in what she hopes becomes interagency collaboration.

“We have a lot of people and resources in Pennsylvania, but we haven’t had a cohesive plan until now to bring all of these agencies together,” she said.

Key state agencies include the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which control large tracts of land. The Department of Transportation would also be involved.

The report’s recommendations include legislation to increase the amount the Game Commission can spend to purchase land, which is currently $400 per acre.

Another recommendation is for PennDOT to build more road crossings, such as tunnels or bridges, and use fencing to direct animals to those areas.

But when it comes to crossings, location is critical, Wein said. That’s why data on the occurrence and location of vehicle collisions with wildlife is needed.

“We need to make sure that data is being tracked,” she said. “Right now, we have insurance claims and that covers large mammals like deer, but we need to know not only where, but the types of wildlife to determine what kind of crossing infrastructure is needed.”

Wein cited the construction of tunnels under the Atlantic City Expressway in New Jersey, allowing safe passage for small mammals and amphibians, as one example of what can be done in Pennsylvania.

Alexandra Kozak, the Pennsylvania field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said Pennsylvania is among the top five states nationally with the greatest likelihood of wildlife/vehicle collisions.

“Establishing wildlife corridors and crossing structures at roadways, such as highway overpasses and underpasses, will help reduce collisions while improving habitat connectivity,” she said.

Pennsylvania has some of the largest spans of contiguous forest on the East Coast, but it’s not guaranteed to stay that way.

“Our habitat is becoming more and more fragmented with roads, new development, suburban sprawl and energy infrastructure such as pipelines,” Wein said. “We have a lot of species that depend on intact, interior forest habitat, and it needs to be considered.”

Areas with the greatest need for conservation corridors, according to the report, include the Pennsylvania Wilds, Poconos, Laurel Highlands and the Kittatinny Ridge.

Such places offer connectivity benefits for the Atlantic Flyway, species biodiversity and unique habitats that all need to be protected from fragmentation, she said.

Farmers can also take action by planting native species between fields or widening windbreaks to create corridors and connect habitats.

Even marginal farmland can be managed to help the cause, Wein said, such as planting milkweed to aid migrating monarch butterflies.

With a completed report in hand, Wein said the next step is implementation of a statewide habitat connectivity plan.

That process will begin with the creation of an interagency commission, along with federal and nongovernmental partners, to home in on high priority areas for reconnecting habitat.

Wein said discussions are already occurring with legislators about what they can do to move the project forward in the next legislative session.

“This report lays out clear next steps our leaders in Harrisburg can take to protect our wildlife for generations to come,” she said. “Now they need to act on this commonsense plan.”