Dear John,

I’m excited to serve as the Acting Executive Director while Katie is taking a well-deserved sabbatical. In this role I look forward to connecting with all of you until she returns on August 1st. 

As we all know, wildlife needs space to move. However, roads and highways are the #1 threat to habitat fragmentation across North America. We can estimate that at least three million animals die every day on North American roads. As a result, road crossings for wildlife are critical to biodiversity and climate resilience. 

Wildlands Network is committed to reconnecting, restoring, and rewilding North America through projects focused on wildlife crossings across the continent. In 2023, we’ve already seen huge progress in government interest with $350 million of federal funds designated to the first federal wildlife crossings program in history.  

Wildlife crossings are tried and true solutions – it's time to make the cultural shift to prioritize wildlife crossings everywhere. Read on to learn more about our work on the ground to reconnect landscapes.  

For the wild,

We are still celebrating a major victory in Mexico’s conservation policy: the recent ban on mining in Natural Protected Areas in Mexico! Monarch butterflies rely on Natural Protected Areas in Mexico for vital overwintering grounds found in the states of Michoacán and Estado de México. Led by our Mexico Program Policy Coordinator, Gina Chacón, we connected diverse partners and offered subject-matter expertise to aid with advocacy and collective action needed to pass this legislation.