The bipartisan, bicameral Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act would allow USDA to leverage Farm Bill conservation programs to benefit wildlife habitat connectivity and migration corridors in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and landowners. 

In the Western U.S., where public lands regularly intermix with privately owned parcels, the ability to extend conservation efforts beyond fence lines is critical to conserving big game migration corridors and wildlife habitat connectivity. To access critical food sources throughout the year, animals like mule deer, antelope, and elk must be able to travel freely across the landscape utilizing historic migration corridors.  When these routes lose functionality or habitat, wildlife faces great risks.  Expanding voluntary efforts to improve wildlife habitat on private and working lands is crucial to ensuring that the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen can experience the wonder of the outdoors.

Farm Bill conservation programs can play a pivotal role in corridor conservation, yet for many landowners and agricultural producers, inflexible program policies, bundles of red tape tied to conservation practices, and prohibitive restrictions on farm and ranch operations limit both the appeal and conservation outcomes of these programs.

“The farms and ranches of the West provide much of the essential habitat that wildlife need to survive. Most landowners care deeply about wildlife and yet the costs associated with supporting wildlife can jeopardize their ability to stay in business,” said Lesli Allison, CEO of the Western Landowners Alliance. “As more and more land is developed, the pressure is increasing on the remaining intact private lands to provide food and shelter for many different species. The bipartisan Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act ensures ranchers and farmers have access to the full suite of tools and resources to conserve and steward these lands for the benefit of people and wildlife.”

For example, producers enrolling in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (GRCP) currently forfeit eligibility to receive cost-share and assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to address other resource concerns like invasive species, erosion, plant diversity, and wildlife habitat. That is a significant barrier to western farmers and ranchers who look to the Farm Bill for help in their efforts to create and enhance habitat for wildlife, while improving the economic viability of their operation.

Recognizing this, the USDA launched its Migratory Big Game Initiative (MBGI) in 2022 through a partnership with the state of Wyoming. Under the partnership, the USDA tested an innovative application of Farm Bill conservation programs to support farmers and ranchers stewarding key habitat for migratory big game species in Wyoming. Through the partnership, producers in WY are eligible to receive cost-share and technical assistance through EQIP to improve habitat and remove barriers to migrating wildlife in tandem with annual rental payments through GCRP that relieve development and conversion pressure on working lands in priority migration areas in exchange for improved livestock management.   

This partnership has proven as successful as it is innovative. In Wyoming, conservation program enrollments in priority corridors jumped 264% compared to pre-partnership levels. Despite that, USDA is unable to expand this model nationwide under the MBGI without a change to the 2018 Farm Bill. That is where the bipartisan Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act introduced by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) comes in.   

“Western ranchers work daily to combat ecological challenges, improve water access, and `conserve millions of acres of healthy habitat for their herds and for native wildlife species. This bipartisan bill makes practical updates to successful, existing conservation programs to maximize the benefits of working lands for our native wildlife,” said Kaitlynn Glover, executive director of the Public Lands Council. “We appreciate Congressman Zinke and Congressman Vasquez’s work to incentivize and leverage ranchers’ investment in wildlife conservation.”  

The Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act codifies the MBGI model and would allow USDA to leverage the unique benefits GRCP and EQIP together nationwide. It also spurs USDA research on virtual fencing technologies, includes conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat connectivity as a critical conservation area under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and provides greater incentives through EQIP for the adoption of conservation practices that conserve or restore wildlife habitat connectivity.     

This bill builds on the MBGI program model popular with farmers and ranchers, allowing them to better tailor Farm Bill conservation programs to their operation’s specific needs. And it is good for wildlife, as Farm Bill conservation programs can be more precisely targeted for specific benefits, like improving habitat connectivity.   

“Farmers and ranchers have an immense opportunity to help wildlife endure and thrive for future generations,” said Aviva Glaser, senior director for agriculture policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “This common-sense, bipartisan legislation will help farmers, ranchers, and landowners support the wildlife that migrate through their fields, pastures, and forests — and the hunters, anglers, birders, and outdoor recreationists that enjoy them. Congress should include this common sense, no-cost proposal in the 2024 Farm Bill and strengthen U.S. Department of Agriculture voluntary conservation programs.”  

TRCP is excited about the Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act because it helps complement successful public land corridor conservation efforts with the long track-record of voluntary, incentive-based conservation on private land promoted through the Farm Bill. We appreciate the leadership of Senator Heinrich and Congressmen Zinke and Vasquez in introducing this legislation and hope to see this common-sense bill included in the Farm Bill as a clear win-win for agricultural producers and wildlife.  

Working lands provide key habitat for migratory fish and wildlife, including big game like elk and mule deer. USDA’s voluntary conservation programs need to work together to support farmers and ranchers who create and enhance this habitat, and the next Farm Bill is our opportunity to make that happen.” said Becky Humphries, CEO at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act removes unnecessary barriers to working lands stewardship. The TRCP thanks Senator Heinrich and Congressmen Zinke and Vasquez for their leadership on this bill and urges its inclusion in the Farm Bill.”

Learn more about Farm Bill conservation programs here

Photo: Josh Metten

You can help. Conservation is, and should be, a shared priority regardless of party affiliation or ideology. Congress needs to hear that this is important to you. Take action here.