Building Support for Wildlife Crossings and Safe Swimming in NC

On Wednesday, April 9th, Environment North Carolina joined our national partner, Environment America, for an annual D.C lobby day. 

Wildlife populations are in decline for many reasons, but the biggest factor is declining and deteriorating habitat. Here in North Carolina, Red wolves, White-Tailed Deer, Black Bears, turtles and all sorts of animals are struck by cars and trucks. Human development such as roads obstruct animals from roaming which can negatively impact them in several ways, limiting their ability to search for food, shelter, and mates.

This isn’t just an issue for the animals. Not giving wildlife room to roam has a negative impact on us as well, resulting in wildlife-vehicle collisions. State Farm Insurance ranks our state 12th for highest risk and there were over 62 thousand reported animal vehicle collisions between 2021 and 2023. To save animal and human lives, we need to reconnect habitats that are currently split apart by human development. The Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act would improve habitat connectivity and give animals the room they need to roam.

Our waterways should be safe for swimming.  But all too often, sewage overflows and runoff pollution bring pathogens to our waters – closing beaches and/or making people sick.  We need to increase water infrastructure funding to stop this pollution, and to enhance beach testing so people know when the water is safe or not. Our researchers found that 50% of beaches tested in North Carolina had potentially unsafe levels of fecal contamination on at least one day in 2022. 

People need to be aware if their water might make them sick. That’s why we’re urging Congress to pass the bipartisan BEACH Act, which reauthorizes a program to help states improve their water testing by giving them the resources they need to identify sources of contamination and keep people safe.

You can support our efforts by telling congress to give wildlife room to roam and to keep our beaches safe for swimming.