American Wildlands has been working on wildlife connectivity issues in the U.S. Northern Rockies for over a decade. In 1995, AWL scientists Dr. Lance Craighead and Rich Walker created a least cost path GIS model to identify over 100 potential wildlife corridors in the Northern Rockies. Using this and a local landscape wildlife connectivity model, we have chosen specific areas in which to form partnerships and address wildlife movement on private lands, public lands, and highways/railroads. We are currently working in Bozeman Pass, MT, McArthur Lake, ID, Centennial Valley/Mountains, MT/ID, Ninemile/Petty Creek, MT, MacDonald Pass, MT, and South Glacier, MT.

Click the image above to see a visual of our PLA methodology

As we’ve worked in these landscapes, we have realized the need to ensure that they are the top priorities for wildlife connectivity. Many of our conservation partners want to ensure that they are committing resources to the wildlife corridors most in need of protection or restoration. The Departments of Transportation, for example, do not have the budget to put crossing structures in all of the wildlife corridors that we have identified; they would like to know where the top priority locations are.

To identify priorities, AWL has developed a methodology that combines a “meta”-analysis and systematic expert opinion-based interviews about wide-ranging ungulate and forest carnivore spcies. This technique is called the Priority Linkage Assessment and is a protocol which compiles and organizes existing wildlife research and direct conversations with regional and local expert biologists. AWL’s assessment will 1) employ a meta analysis to identify potential wildlife linkages; 2) interview key biologists to get a sense of animal movement, threats, and opportunities at the regional corridor scale; 3) Interview wildlife biologists and key community members about the ecological quality, threats, and opportunities in specific linkage areas; 4) evaluate and rank interview results; and 5) create maps and reports about linkage priorities.

AWL's conservation project areas where the Priority Linkage Assessment is in progress

AWL’s goal is to identify 5-10 wildlife corridor priorities in each of our seven regional corridors. This assessment will help us prioritize our wildlife connectivity work and create a 3-5 year conservation strategy for our Corridors of Life program. Assessment information will be shared with all participating agencies and scientists, as well as our conservation partners as a guideline for prioritizing resources for wildlife connectivity in the U.S. Northern Rockies.