Local community efforts expand wildlife corridor projects and plans

With expanding population and development pressures, the stewardship of natural resources and habitat connectivity rests heavily on informed action at the local government level. Local governments have land use authority over almost two-thirds of land in the United States, so they have a unique role in shaping growth, protecting natural resources, and keeping landscapes connected.

Integrating Wildlife Habitat Connectivity into Local Government Planning (Center for Large Landscape Conservation)

Wildlife Corridor Project (Arizona)

Recently, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) released the report Integrating Wildlife Habitat Connectivity into Local Government Planning: Examples, Recommendations, and Resources for U.S. Towns and Counties. The report offers practical guidance to help planners and partners integrate wildlife habitat connectivity into local land use decisions. It highlights real-world policies and ordinances from around the country, showcases case studies of successful implementation, and outlines best practices to support local action.

It is valuable to continue highlighting further examples of efforts emerging in communities in the United States that include connectivity concepts in local government-related planning. One endeavor not included in the CLLC report was that of the town of Prescott Valley, Arizona (90 minutes north of Phoenix), which is moving forward on a regional Wildlife Corridor Project.

The Prescott Valley example is meaningful beyond the local context because it shows one way a rapidly growing community is taking to incorporate wildlife movement considerations into its planning framework. While every place has its own context, the phased approach taken here—grounded in available data, shaped by local priorities, and woven into existing land-use processes—may provide ideas or starting points for other towns or counties exploring how to balance growth with natural resource stewardship.

The Wildlife Corridor Project is a community effort to protect local natural resources and maintain the town’s quality of life by ensuring wildlife can move safely through the landscape. It is in part responding to a town survey where citizens ranked preservation of open space and habitat as one of the top community concerns.

A consulting team for the town completed a Wildlife Corridor Foundation Guide in summer 2025 as phase one of the project. The guide establishes a framework for the project by highlighting existing conditions, considering substantial wildlife data, analyzing similar projects, and undertaking significant public engagement and community visioning. Key strategies in the guide include strengthening ecosystem health by maintaining wildlife corridors, integrating conservation with sustainable growth, and ensuring strong community involvement.

Several approaches for next steps include recommendations in the guide to “align land use and development standards with environmental sensitivity,” “conserve high-value habitat areas,” and “develop a wildlife corridor and habitat overlay map.” Phase Two will be a Wildlife Corridor Plan, which will produce a plan to implement selected strategies for specific projects, develop tools like mapping, and integration of wildlife considerations into land use decisions.

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.

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Hampshire	2026	SB592	Enables regional, conservation, and energy resource planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors
New Hampshire	2019	SB200	Requires the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to consider fish and wildlife crossings and mitigation measures in all future road and culvert projects
New Hampshire	2016	SB376	Requires the fish and game department to identify existing and needed wildlife corridors connecting wildlife habitats in the state and to make recommendations for legislative changes

State	Year	Policy	Description
Maine	2023	LD258	Appropriates $7.5 million to Department of Transportation to improve roadways with potential adaptations for wildlife
Maine	2023	LD1881	Establishes compensation fee program relating to fish and wildlife habitats and associated corridors, including compensation paid by solar energy development
Maine	2023	LD508	Requires Department of Environmental Protection to review its permitting laws concerning climate change, habitat connectivity, ecological resilience, and coastal environments

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Jersey	2025	S3618	Directs state agencies to develop a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan
New Jersey	2024	S3916/A5486	Expands eligibility for existing wildlife fencing programs by including farmers leasing farmland
New Jersey	2007	NJAC7:13	Requires the state to incorporate wildlife crossings or a natural bank for terrestrial threatened and endangered species and/or species of concern when a new bridge or culvert project would cause habitat fragmentation

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Mexico	2023	SB72	Appropriates money to new Wildlife Corridors Fund for implementation of wildlife crossing projects under New Mexico Wildlife Corridor Action Plan
New Mexico	2022	HB 2	Allocates funding for projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and allows the Department of Transportation and Department of Game to implement their Wildlife Corridors Action Plan
New Mexico	2019	SB 228	Requires the creation of a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan that includes comprehensive guidance to agencies for identifying, prioritizing and maintaining important areas for wildlife movement

State	Year	Policy	Description
Washington	2023	HB1216/SB5196	Requires Department of Ecology to prepare environmental impact statements for clean energy projects that consider impacts to habitat connectivity and wildlife migration corridors
Washington	2022	SB5689	Provides funding for US 97 Wildlife Crossing Improvements project
Washington	2019	SEO 1031.02	Recognizes the effect of roadways in creating barriers to wildlife movement, breeding, and migrations; the Washington State Department of Transportation will promote and support Practical Solutions and Planning and Environmental Linkages to integrate habitat connectivity and biodiversity plans; will make use of the highway prioritization map known as Habitat Connectivity Investment Priorities; and will corporate and coordinate with other agencies involved in wildlife habitat protection, specifically along highways

Connecting Science to Conservation

Local community efforts expand wildlife corridor projects and plans

Integrating Wildlife Habitat Connectivity into Local Government Planning (Center for Large Landscape Conservation)

Wildlife Corridor Project (Arizona)

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State	Year	Policy	Description
Vermont	2023	Act59	Vermont's 30x30 law that commits to conserving and maintaining an ecologically functional landscape that sustains biodiversity and maintains landscape connectivity
Vermont	2016	Act 171	Primarily focuses on timber harvesting regulations, but calls for a study of necessary revisions to planning statutes that protect contiguous areas of forestland from fragmentation and promote habitat connectivity between forestlands

State	Year	Policy	Description
Florida	2024	SB1638	Dedicates annual funding to land purchases, conservation easements, and trail maintenance within Florida Wildlife Corridor
Florida	2023	HB1379	Creates annual appropriation to acquire lands that complete certain linkages and are under high population stress within Florida Wildlife Corridor
Florida	2023	SB2500 sec.146	Provides funding to buy Ocala to Osceola (“O2O”) Wildlife Corridor
Florida	2021	SB976	Tasks state agencies with maintaining wildlife connectivity and designates Florida Wildlife Corridor as an existing physical, geographically defined area
Florida	2021	SB2500	Appropriates $300 million to acquire lands to conserve Florida Wildlife Corridor
Florida	2019	SB7068	Creates a "Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance Program" that includes protection of wildlife corridors as an intended benefit
Florida	2008	SB542	Amends Florida Forever Act statues to include goals of connecting linkage corridors
Florida	2001	SB1468	Amends Florida Forever Act to establish that land acquisitions should include complete landscape linkages and corridors
Florida	1999	S908	Creates Florida Forever Program, with increased protection of lands that protect threatened or endangered species and plans to create a statewide system of connected landscape linkages