A big step forward for protecting PA’s wildlife habitat

Pennsylvania is blessed with some of the most incredible wild places, and a wonderful diversity of animals that call the commonwealth home. That’s why PennEnvironment is so  excited that Pennsylvania’s legislature  recently took a big step forward to protect  wildlife in the Keystone State last month.  On Tuesday, May 23rd, the Pennsylvania State House voted 129-72 in support of House Resolution 87, a bipartisan measure that will help to protect Pennsylvania’s critical animal habitats and determine the location of wildlife corridors. Championed by Representatives  Mary Jo Day (Montgomery County) and Jason Ortitay (Allegheny & Washington counties), this resolution directs the Pennsylvania government to study the status, gaps, management and benefits of wildlife corridors for the commonwealth.

PennEnvironment has been hard at work to make this victory possible. We held educational webinars for the public,  got letters to the editor published in papers across the state and signed on over 60 outdoor recreation businesses, sportsmen organizations and conservation groups to a letter in support of Pennsylvania’s wildlife corridors .

When the measure passed, we moved quickly to make sure Pennsylvanians were informed about this big environmental accomplishment with a press release, leading to more than a dozen news stories across the state, including Fox 43 in Harrisburg, Lancaster Farming, Lehigh Valley News, PBS 39,  the Lehigh Valley’s NPR station WDIY, the Patriot News/PennLive, and the Washington County Observer-Reporter.

 

This couldn’t come at a better time – the passage of HR 87 also comes as the Federal Highway Administration rolls out a new five-year $350 million competitive grant program to fund wildlife crossings, created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.  By identifying opportunities for wildlife corridors, HR 87 will better position Pennsylvania to access funding for the infrastructure that would keep our wildlife safe.

HR 87 is a great start towards reconnecting Pennsylvania’s fractured landscape, but it’s exactly that – a start. We’re looking forward to working with wildlife experts, state agencies, local conservation leaders and a bipartisan group of wildlife champions in Harrisburg to make this vision a reality.

Here’s a deeper dive into why wildlife corridors are so important – and what it means for Pennsylvania wildlife