Freedom to move
Seasonal wildlife movements–a phenomena called migration–is a survival strategy. And it is only possible when animals have the freedom to move. Sometimes these movements take place across vast landscapes, and at other times they are a few hundred feet from a small ephemeral pond to the surrounding hillsides. Long or short, by water or by land, we call these pathways wildlife corridors, and they are essential to wildlife survival.
A moose trudges across a snow-covered landscape on Inspiration Ridge Preserve. Photograph by Nina Faust.
Human development has threatened and cut off these lifelines in ecosystems across the world, causing wildlife populations to plummet and driving some species to extinction.
The story of habitat fragmentation is brought into harsh focus on our highways and roads. In the United States, vehicle-wildlife collisions kill 200 people and injure 26,000. The estimated cost to society is more than eight billion dollars each year, not to mention the destruction of wildlife both big and small.
Sandhill cranes gather at Inspiration Ridge Preserve before flying south on their fall migration. Photograph by Nina Faust.
But there is hope. State, Federal, and local governments are building safe wildlife crossings, from the construction of wildlife under- and over-passes to targeted habitat conservation and restoration efforts. In 2021, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act earmarked $400 million to address vehicle-wildlife collisions. These actions are in direct response to reports and organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) naming wildlife corridor conservation and restoration as a top priority to prevent loss of biodiversity and to mitigate climate change.
A porcupine walks across a field of snow on the Preserve. Photograph by Nina Faust.
Many forward-thinking individuals and communities have been working to protect and restore wildlife corridors for decades, even before they were widely recognized for their vital role in wildlife ecology.
When development pressure in Homer, Alaska was increasing rapidly in the 1990s, Homer residents Edgar Bailey and Nina Faust jumped into action to protect what is now Inspiration Ridge Preserve. Without their help, this land would have been developed, and a critical wildlife corridor would have been destroyed.
A bull moose is in the process of shedding his antlers as he walks into a field on the Preserve. Photograph by Nina Faust.
To learn the story of the protection of this vital wildlife corridor, read “The Making of Inspiration Ridge Preserve” in The Ridgeline.