Great news! Wildlands Network has identified key hotspots for wildlife movement—and strategies to protect them from traffic—along a major highway in western North Carolina and East Tennessee.
Our 28-mile research area traces Interstate 40 through the narrow, winding Pigeon River Gorge near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where wildlife-vehicle collisions are a common and increasingly severe occurrence. The report’s findings could help make this highway safer for drivers and wildlife alike.
Led by our Senior Wildlife Biologist Dr. Liz Hillard alongside partners at the National Parks Conservation Association, the study will provide valuable data to the state's Departments of Transportation on how to incorporate wildlife mitigation strategies into future transportation plans.
I invite you to explore the report and join us in celebrating this major milestone for wildlife habitat connectivity! Plus, read on for more updates.
For the wild,
Our California Program Manager Mari Galloway and Chief Scientist Dr. Ron Sutherland recently toured wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots and road ecology study sites in the Pacific Wildway.
Join us for a photo journey through their field trip across Northern California and Southern Oregon, narrated by Mari.
ICYMI: Wildlands Network held three webinars on wildlife infrastructure projects in partnership with ARC Solutions, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, and the National Parks Conservation Association.
These webinars were designed to help “demystify” how to plan for and implement wildlife crossing infrastructure projects. Missed out on this opportunity? You can catch the recordings here.
During the early phases of Wildlands Network and NPCA’s research in the Pigeon River Gorge, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced a plan to replace five bridges along I-40. Construction is wrapping up on the first of the five, that has incorporated wildlife crossing enhancements, at Harmon Den.
Read more from North Carolina Project Coordinator Nikki Robinson about the state's leadership role in transforming its transportation networks.
Join us for a virtual discussion with conservationist and author Ignacio Jiménez about his book Effective Conservation: Parks, Rewilding, and Local Development.
This event will be hosted and moderated by Wildlands Network Conservation Programs Director Juan Carlos Bravo and will be held in both Spanish and English.
