The year 2022 has been big for ecological connectivity policies at the state and federal levels. New funding from these state and federal programs creates opportunities for locally led projects, especially those relating to wildlife and transportation issues. While state and federal agencies have committed to increased efforts related to connectivity, county level projects and planning are in an opportune position to capitalize on this growing momentum as well.
Integrating wildlife habitat connectivity guidance into county policy and planning is effective and increasing in practice. Here are a sample of existing county policies and plans that promote mechanisms to achieve wildlife habitat connectivity:
States that have enacted policies to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and/or improve habitat connectivity as of August 2022 (click to enlarge). Credit: Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Comprehensive Plan (2005)
Eagle County in north-central Colorado is home to 15 communities. Like many Rocky Mountain areas, a large portion of the county (>80%) is public land. However, development is concentrated on the valley floor, threatening critical winter range, low elevation meadows, and wildlife migration routes along rivers and tributaries. The Eagle County Comprehensive Plan (updated in 2021) includes multiple policies and recommended strategies for local, county, state and federal agencies to achieve habitat protection and maintain connectivity at site and landscape scales. Recommended measures include mapping and monitoring of habitat, preservation of the “integrity, quality and interconnected nature of critical wildlife habitat,” protection of the well-being of wildlife of economic and less economic importance, consideration of the cumulative impacts of proposed development in decision-making, creation of buffer zones, and management practices to minimize disturbance to wildlife.
Growth Policy (2016-2019)
Missoula County adopted a Missoula Area Land Use Element in 2019 as an amendment to its 2016 Growth Policy. A component of the Element’s vision is, “Preserve Working Lands, Agricultural Areas, and Naturally-Functioning Systems.” This component describes a role of the county as “protection of…important habitats,” which include “geographic funnels and terrain features (e.g., riparian corridors, ridgelines, timbered draws, passes) that naturally guide wildlife to certain areas in harsh weather conditions and during seasonal movements and migrations.” The Element also describes the need to update the zoning map and regulations to reflect 15 land use designations, including “open, resource and recreation.”
Arizona County-level Stakeholder Workshop and Assessments (2008-2012)
Apache and Navaho Counties, Coconino County, Maricopa County, Pima County, Pinal County, and Yavapai County have developed Wildlife Connectivity Assessments through county-level stakeholder workshops, building upon a statewide Arizona Wildlife Linkages Assessment put together by state and federal agencies and nonprofit partners from 2004- 2006. The county-level assessments feature stakeholder input from diverse participants used to generate GIS maps and reports of threats and potential conservation opportunities for further analysis. In Pima County, the county-level assessment suggested five priority areas for detailed linkage designs and implementation. Pima County voters approved excise taxes to support a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) with $45 million allocated for the construction of wildlife crossings as early as 2006. These funds, in conjunction with further study by the Arizona Department of Transportation and Fish and Game Department, led to the construction of a wildlife bridge across a six-lane highway and associated underpass in 2016; planning for two additional bridges continues. As part of this process, the RTA has sponsored “detailed linkages” analyses to protect connectivity between wildland blocks.
County Ordinances (2019)
Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Taos Counties are four mountain-rich, northern New Mexico counties that passed similar resolutions that include formal support for the U.S. Congress to pass the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act— introduced in Congress in May 2019—and encourage regional National Forests (Carson, Santa Fe and Rio Grande) to establish special management areas for wildlife habitat connectivity. The policies uniformly recognize that wildlife resources are “fundamental” to the “history, culture and identity” of each county and describe “the need and opportunity to foster increased collaboration among state, federal and tribal natural resource managers to promote and protect landscape connectivity.”
County-Wide Conservation Plan (1996)
Following the adoption of the California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act in 1991, largely metropolitan Orange County became a leader in county-wide conservation planning when it adopted the Orange County Central and Coastal Subregions Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) & Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The goal of the NCCP/HCP is to conserve “habitat systems” in order to address “long-term biological protection and management of multiple species.” By engaging city, county and state agencies, and private companies, and by meeting state and federal regulations, the NCCP/HCP serves to preserve blocks of habitat, streamline development processes, and protect 39 species of wildlife including federal- and state-listed and non-listed species. The NCCP/HCP creates a 37,000 acre Reserve System—more than 20,000 acres of which derives from private lands— and also provides for limited “Incidental Take” of protected habitat and species on 5700 acres of Non-Reserve Supplemental Habitat Areas planned for development. The Reserve System is recognized in the Orange County Land Use Element.
Growth Policy (2017)
Located within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Park County includes the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park, broad valley bottoms and the highest peak in Montana. The Park County Growth Policy includes specific goals, objectives, and actions to promote coexistence with wildlife. The Growth Policy directs the planning department to “[i]dentify critical wildlife corridors for development, infrastructure and conservation planning,” and to include this information in the County Atlas. It also encourages the state to maintain wildlife corridors in highway construction.
Maeveen Marie Behan Conservation Lands System (2001)
Pima County is a 5.9 million acre area that includes the Tucson metropolitan area, Tohono O’odham Nation, Oregon Pipe Cactus and Ironwood Forest National Monuments, and Saguaro National Park. Since its adoption as part of the Environmental Element of the Pima County Comprehensive Plan in 2001, a Conservation Lands System (CLS) has protected landscape integrity while enabling development. The CLS defines, maps, and sets conservation policy for seven categories of biologically-important lands in order to guide growth outside of their boundaries. The CLS is based on the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan; developed by more than 150 scientists over the course of 400 public meetings, the Plan identifies biological corridors and critical and sensitive habitats to maintain ecosystem function for indigenous species. To-date, Pima County has protected 180,000 acres within the CLS based on a 2004 voter-approved Open Space Bond, with area towns and state and federal agencies also carrying out actions to fulfill the vision of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
Critical Areas Ordinance (1996)
The Critical Areas Ordinance of Spokane County in eastern Washington, first adopted in 1996 and most recently updated in 2018, includes designation and protection of fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas and species-specific conservation areas, in accordance with the requirements of the 1990 Washington Growth Management Act. Recorded priority habitats include wildlife corridors (e.g. “areas used for foraging movements, seasonal migrations or the once in a lifetime dispersal of juvenile animals”), landscape linkages that enable “community or ecosystem processes to operate”, riparian areas, and urban and rural open space that serve as corridors between other priority habitats. Performance standards are specified for regulated uses in these areas. Incentives such as property tax relief, on-site density transfers and off-site transfers of development rights facilitate conservation goals while protecting property rights.
County-Wide Connectivity Plan (2017-2019)
Summit County is located an hour from the Denver metropolitan area and experiences high traffic as residents and visitors head to any of its four ski areas or other recreation opportunities. The Summit County Safe Passages coalition of local governments, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations developed Summit County Safe Passages for Wildlife: A County-Wide Connectivity Plan in 2017. The County formally endorsed the Plan in 2019, stating “[i]implementing mitigation recommendations from the Summit County Safe Passages Plan will set the example for communities state and nationwide to work together and provide for the needs of both people and wildlife.”
Wildlife Crossing Master Plan (2018)
Teton County is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and serves as home to abundant wildlife, and a gateway to Grand Teton National Park. At the request of Teton County, the Western Transportation Institute developed a Wildlife Crossings Master Plan that identifies wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots, and mitigation options to improve human safety and maintain wildlife corridors. In 2019, citizens allocated $10 million from the county’s Special Purpose Excise Tax toward the design and construction of wildlife crossing structures.
Ordinances (2019)
Southern California’s Ventura County passed Ordinances 4537 and 4539 to amend its Non Coastal Zoning Code in order to “Regulate Development Within the Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Corridors and the Critical Wildlife Passage Areas Overlay Zones.” Together, the goal of these Ordinances is “to preserve functional connectivity for wildlife and vegetation throughout the overlay zone by minimizing direct and indirect barriers, minimizing loss of vegetation and habitat fragmentation and minimizing impacts to those areas that are narrow, impacted or otherwise tenuous with respect to wildlife movement.” The ordinances regulate outdoor lighting, require setbacks from surface water and known wildlife crossings, limit installation of wildlife impermeable fencing, and prohibit planting of invasive species.
Please note: This digest is intended to provide up-to-date information on policy development from a neutral, unaffiliated position as it relates to connectivity and corridor science and management.
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