Glacier Country News

Montana Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke and New Mexico Democrat Congressman Gabe Vasquez have announced the introduction of the bipartisan Wildlife Corridors on Working Lands Act. This bill aims to amend the 2024 Farm Bill to instruct the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide more resources and incentives for farmers and ranchers. The goal is to increase habitat connectivity and wildlife movement on working lands.

The proposed legislation includes several key provisions:

- Adding wildlife corridors and connectivity as a priority resource concern for critical conservation areas within the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

- Building on the Big Game Conservation Partnership in Wyoming.

- Expanding landowners' adoption of practices that directly impact habitat connectivity.

- Incentivizing virtual fencing models that can control livestock distribution.

- Increasing USDA research on virtual fencing.

- Creating a new section under “administrative requirements for conservation programs” encouraging wildlife migration corridors and connectivity.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

Rep. Zinke stated, “Some of our most iconic North American big game traverse thousands of miles on their migration routes every year. As Secretary I signed a secretarial order establishing a federal-state-private sector partnership to maintain wildlife access to corridors. This bill takes it a step further, working directly with farmers to protect migration corridors during migration seasons while respecting private property rights."

Congressman Vasquez added, “Protecting and expanding wildlife corridors requires all of us to be at the table and that includes farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers. The bipartisan Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act protects and expands the movement of wildlife while supporting the stewards of our working lands."

Various stakeholders have expressed support for this bill, including Becky Humphries, CEO at Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Kaden McArthur, Government Relations Manager at Backcountry Hunters & Anglers; Frank Szollosi, executive director of Montana Wildlife Federation; and Western Landowners Alliance.

Zinke has been a leading voice on this issue since his time as Secretary of the Interior. In 2018, he signed Secretarial Order 3362, which directed the Department of the Interior to work in close partnership with western states to enhance and improve the quality of big-game winter range and migration corridor habitat on Federal lands.