Trump Administration Continues to Improve Conservation of Western Big Game Species

Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON – The Trump Administration announced a new report, highlighting the achievements to date that support and improve habitat quality in western big-game winter range and migration corridors. Since 2018, the Department of the Interior and its partners have facilitated 73 projects across 11 states with the more than $47 million being invested from federal and matching grants in state-identified priority research projects, data analysis and mapping assistance, habitat-related projects and other activities.

“Great coordination with state, local and other private partners is leading to important wildlife conservation benefits related to winter range and migration corridors for elk, mule deer and pronghorn,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt.

Big game species migrate across thousands of miles of federal, state, Tribal and private lands during their annual journeys. Secretary’s Order 3362 fosters improved collaboration with states and private landowners and coalesces these groups around robust science to more effectively and efficiently target on-the-ground conservation in the highest priority, scientifically defined migration corridors or winter range areas.

Through the implementation of the Secretary's Order, the Department created a public-private partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), using funding from the Bureau of Land Management and US. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and private companies. This partnership funds a variety of habitat conservation projects across 11 western states and will continue to be essential to the program going into year three.

Grant funding has supported habitat conservation easements across more than 39,000 acres and 326 miles of wildlife friendly and highway fencing. In addition, more than 302,287 acres across the western states focused on managing invasive species like pinyon-juniper woodlands and nonnative grasses.

With President Trump signing the Great American Outdoors Act, a historic conservation law, the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be permanently and fully funded at $900 million per year. The LWCF can be used to support the federal government and other partners’ efforts to improve habitat quality for winter range and migration corridors for western big-game species that migrate across thousands of miles of federal, state, Tribal and private lands during their annual journeys, particularly providing much needed resources to enter into voluntary transactions in these priority areas.

Some of the projects receiving funding include:

Arizona - The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) will collar a total of 20 mule deer to gain important knowledge about planning effective highway crossing structures by evaluating if animals are using the whole corridor as intended and moving between mountain ranges. More importantly, the AZGFD can learn about how animals are using the land near the overpass to better inform decisions about how much land must be protected on both sides and help secure parcels near this crossing structure that are still in jeopardy of being sold, which could close off this corridor.

Colorado - This research project will monitor elk movements in South Park by deploying 40 GPS radio collars on elk. A telemetry project in South Park was conducted in the 1990s to better understand elk movements, and it identified several winter migration corridors. Initiating this new telemetry project offers an opportunity to compare current location and movement data to previous data. In addition, the new data will provide the opportunity to interpret the impacts of land use change over the past 20 years on elk migration and habitat quality.

Montana - The main objective of the Devil’s Kitchen elk project is to mark 50 cow elk with GPS collars to provide the needed data to delineate current seasonal ranges and movement corridors to better inform conservation and management of elk in this area.

Nevada – Nevada Department of Wildlife will capture and collar up to 60 pronghorn in two separate herds in northern Nevada that are known to have extensive migration movements. The information from the GPS collars will be used to delineate migration corridors and stopover locations and to quantify the amount of time spent in crucial winter habitats.

New Mexico - The New Mexico Department of Game & Fish will mark 30 elk and 30 mule deer with GPS collars to delineate migration corridors.

Utah - The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) has limited information on the movements of mule deer in the Currant Creek area, so migration corridors have not been mapped. Currently, the Utah Department of Transportation is installing wildlife fencing on U.S. 40 to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions. The funding for this project will be used to fit 45 mule deer (25 does, 20 bucks) with GPS tracking collars to gather the necessary data to map migration corridors for this herd.

The overall funding provided excludes staff costs, matching funds beyond those supporting the grants funded through the NFWF or programmatic funding provided by the Department’s Bureaus at field-level offices for migration related research or habitat projects in state-defined priority areas. The full list of big game migration corridor conservation projects can be found online.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

“Since being issued, Secretary's Order 3362 has been a boon for the conservation of wildlife and wild places and a model for public private partnerships. Thank you, Secretary Bernhardt, for embracing a nonregulatory and voluntary approach to implementation. SCI volunteers stand ready to help ensure the long-term success of this critical effort,” said Safari Club International and Safari Club International Foundation CEO W. Laird Hamberlin.

“The Mule Deer Foundation appreciates the last two years of hard work and partnership with the Department of the Interior as they have implemented S.O. 3362 on big game migration corridors and seasonal habitats. The report released today gives a clear indication of the tremendous progress that has resulted from agency staff and partners focusing on this key issue - this would not have happened without the leadership from the Secretary and his staff,” said Mule Deer Foundation President & CEO Miles Moretti. “Conservation of migration corridors and seasonal habitats is essential to the health of western mule deer populations and the increased attention on these needs will make a difference for years to come. This is good for mule deer hunters, but it is also important to the long-term conservation of these icons of the West. Moving forward, we anticipate learning more about mule deer migration patterns through the research that has been funded through S.O. 3362 and to use that information to target the conservation efforts that have only just begun through this initiative.”

“We applaud the final report on S.O. 3362, which reinforces the principle that wildlife benefits most when there is a cooperative approach to big game management, especially on diverse western landscapes with migratory game species such as elk, mule deer and pronghorn,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President Jeff Crane. “We sincerely thank Secretary Bernhardt and his team for emphasizing the Department’s commitment to working in partnership with states, private landowners, and the conservation community for the benefit of big game winter range and migration corridor habitat.”

“Protecting and enhancing winter range and migration corridors for elk and other wildlife is becoming more and more of a challenge on a daily basis, especially as development and invasive species spread across the landscape. That is why it is incumbent on us as stewards of the land and partner agencies to work together to make decisions, plan and carry out priority projects, and implement policy created by quality, rigorous research and science to shape sound and balanced wildlife management. These actions are crucial in ensuring the conservation of vital habitat,” said Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO Kyle Weaver. “RMEF commends Secretary Bernhardt, the current administration and the western states for prioritizing and leading this work. Now is a great opportunity to take action to use the latest science and research to conserve the iconic western species such as elk, mule deer and pronghorn antelope as well as the habitat they need to thrive.”

“The progress report on Secretary’s Order 3362 that was released today shows what can be accomplished when we work together on landscape level wildlife conservation issues and provides clear direction on moving this initiative forward. The Boone and Crockett Club thanks the Department of the Interior for having the vision to focus on big game migration corridors and winter range habitats, and for implementing a truly collaborative approach for their conservation. The method of providing critical research funding to the states in order to identify priority corridors and then supporting partner-driven habitat conservation in these areas is a proven model,” said Boone and Crockett Club President Tim Brady.