Highways & Habitat

Challenge:

A whitetail buck behind a highway fence in Florida.
Photo courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Our nation’s transportation programs and policies have a tremendous impact on wildlife and water quality and pose some of the greatest conservation challenges of the 21st century. The programs and policies authorized by Congress for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) affect many conservation and sportsmen-related issues, including recreational trails, storm water management, wildlife corridors, fish passage, boat safety and invasive species.

The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (known as the Highway Bill) is set to be debated this Congressional session. This bill, which is expected to total nearly $500 billion when completed, will influence and fund many key conservation efforts for five to seven years. Sportsmen must make their voices heard during this debate and ensure that important priorities for fish and wildlife are not overlooked.

With the many competing priorities in Congress in 2009, re-authorization of a new Highway Bill has been delayed. A series of short-term extensions to current law has kept the DOT funded during this interim period. Recent debate in the Senate regarding a jobs bill has sparked new interest in seeing the Highway Bill reauthorized in 2010.

Strategy:

The TRCP has helped organize the Transportation Conservation Coalition to proactively engage with key policymakers as the Highway Bill takes shape. As America’s leading conservation, outdoors, hunting and fishing organizations, the coalition looks forward to helping Congress develop transportation legislation that will improve fish and wildlife habitat and water quality. The TRCP will play an active role in this coalition and seek to draw needed media attention to this issue.

Action:

A small fish swimming across a flooded highway near White River National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Transportation Conservation Coalition of 54 sportsmen's, conservation and other outdoor organizations convened in spring of 2009 to discuss common areas of interest and arrive at a thorough list of policy recommendations that should be addressed in the upcoming Highway Bill. Following these discussions, the coalition sent a letter outlining these recommendations to committee leaders in Congress. Our coalition stands ready to engage policymakers on our recommendations when debate of the new highway bill re-authorization resumes.

Two specific areas on which the TRCP is focused are storm water runoff (particularly as it affects the Chesapeake Bay region) and promoting sportsmen's access to public lands.

Storm Water Management: Highways are a major source of storm water runoff and ultimately a leading cause of water quality impairment in lakes, rivers and estuaries across the nation. The TRCP believes that all new and reconstructed highway projects should be required to assess and mitigate for storm water impacts.

Public Lands Access: Federal public lands are an important destination for American hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Nearly half of all hunters conduct a portion of their hunting activity on these lands. Inadequate access to public lands is cited as a primary reason that hunters stop participating in this traditional sport. People who fish, canoe and kayak also would benefit from improved access to our nation’s rivers and streams. The TRCP believes funding and policy changes should be directed to the Recreational Trails Program and other areas within the U.S. DOT to improve public access to these areas.

Please continue to check this page for the latest information and ways you can take action.

For more information on the TRCP's transportation initiative, contact Geoff Mullins, director of policy initiatives and communications. For media inquiries, contact Katie McKalip, associate director of communications.