Reconnecting the Land

Elk crossing overpass in CO

US Person posted recently about the bison slaughter on the edge of Yellowstone National Park.  The culling would not be necessary if mega fauna like bison and bears had room to live freely as they once did.  Now, they are hemmed in by man made boundaries they do not know exists.  Yellowstone could be expanded to its more natural boundaries exemplified by the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) designation.  Affected private land could be compensated for by the process of eminent domain.  More importantly, the GYE is separated from the Bob Marshall and Glacier NP by only 47 miles.  If these two reserves were connected by a wild corridor,  bears and other migratory creatures would benefit immensely by increasing their genetic diversity.  Inbreeding is one of the first signs of inadequate habitat. [photo credit: Southern Ute Wildlife]

The NA tribes have taken a lead in establishing corridors and passages for wildlife.  One of the little known provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure law is the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program which will distribute $350 million over five years to tribes and states for the construction of wildlife-friendly infrastructure.  A member of the Upper Skagit tribe in Washington applied for one of the first grants awarded in 2023.  A crossing could cost upwards of $8.5 million in rural areas, so federal funding is much needed.  The Skagit proposal was approved, one of ten awarded in the West.  The tribe will work with biologists and engineers to design a bridge over State Route 20 that elk and others will find suitable.  The passage will not just benefit elk, but human motorists.  Last year, a motorist died when they swerved into a telephone pole to avoid a collision with an elk.  Some 1600 elk make the Skagit Valley home.  

In Montana, the Confederated Tribes of Salish and Kootenai objected to the widening of  US 93 unless wildlife needs were considered.  State and federal planners in consultation with the tribes eventually allowed for fencing around the 40 or so crossings including a wildlife overpass in their construction plans.  The passages allow bears, deer and other species to cross the highway safely without posing a danger to travelers.  In 2022 the Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado guided the state in building a wildlife overpass and underpass on their reservation land.  The tribe contributed $1.3 million to the $12 million cost of the passages.   The federal help comes with a requirement that tribes contribute up to 20% of the cost of construction, which is an obstacle for tribes that are not flush with funds.  The Secretary of Transportation refused to waive the requirement on grounds of equity when petitioned in 2022.  But tribes have proven inventive in meeting the funding requirement.  

The Stillaguamish worked with a couple who purchased five land parcels worth $1.2 million on either side of the proposed overpass in the Skagit Valley to protect the elk herd.  Their combined effort overcame the funding barrier.  The fact is that native lands have been fragmented by more than a century of settlement and development.  It is time  the process be reversed and consideration given to the needs of the other creatures living on this planet. Native people understand their moral and historical obligations that the rest of us should support.