Pennsylvania officials release new recommendations for protecting Keystone State’s wildlife

‘Wildlife corridors’ would limit collisions, reconnect habitats

HARRISBURG, Pa. –  If Pennsylvania acts on the recommendations of a new state report, the Keystone State’s majestic native animal species will find it easier to survive and thrive. The report, The Current Status of Conservation Connectivity in Pennsylvania, details how to preserve and reconnect wildlife habitats in Pennsylvania by better utilizing forested and other undeveloped corridors as well as road-crossing structures to help animals safely move between areas fragmented by roads, buildings and other infrastructure development and to create a more interconnected natural landscape.

“From the bobcat and black bear to the millions of songbirds that cross the Keystone State every year, Pennsylvania is blessed to be home to incredible native species,” said Stephanie Wein, clean water & conservation advocate at PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. “This report lays out clear next steps our leaders in Harrisburg can take to protect our wildlife for generations to come. Now, they need to act on this commonsense plan.”

House Resolution 87, which state Reps. Mary Jo Daley (HD 148 – Montgomery County) and Jason Ortitay (HD 46 – Allegheny and Washington counties) sponsored and passed with bipartisan support last year, required the creation of the report. The next steps include devising and implementing a statewide habitat connectivity plan. That connectivity would improve the health of animal populations by giving them more space to hunt, forage, migrate and mate, while also preventing animal-vehicle collisions. Pennsylvania ranks among the worst states in the nation for these dangerous accidents.

“Pennsylvania is one of five states where you’re most likely to be involved in a vehicle collision with wildlife,” said Alexandra Kozak, Pennsylvania field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Establishing wildlife corridors and crossing structures at roadways, such as highway overpasses and underpasses, will help reduce collisions while improving habitat connectivity.”

Some of the report’s key recommendations include:

• The executive branch should convene an official interagency commission to collaborate with federal and non-governmental partners to identify high-priority areas for reconnecting habitat in Pennsylvania and establish goals for their protection.
• The General Assembly should implement policies requiring PennDOT to regularly update state officials on its wildlife crossing projects, increase the amount the state Game Commission can spend to purchase land for conservation, and require state agencies, independent agencies and insurance contractors working in Pennsylvania to report and track animal-vehicle collisions.

Sally Sims, cofounder of Pennsylvania Habitat Connectivity, added “By implementing LBFC’s recommended action for the Governor to convene a wildlife corridor working group, Pennsylvania can continue the important work already begun by its natural resource agencies and commissions as well as non-governmental partners to prioritize, protect, and enhance terrestrial and aquatic wildlife corridors to safeguard the Commonwealth’s natural heritage for decades to come.”