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The Importance Of Big Game Migration Corridors

Commentary: Big game like mule deer, elk and pronghorn are right now moving from their summer ranges to their winter ranges. Each year, these animals move from higher elevations to lower elevations where food is more abundant, and conditions aren’t as severe.

As they make these seasonal journeys, our big game herds must have access to quality habitat where they can rest and nourish themselves along the way. And they don’t recognize boundaries as they move through public and private lands, over and through fences, across roadways, and around numerous other man-made hindrances.

Habitat connectivity allows wildlife to move across their range seasonally or disperse to unoccupied habitat. Functional migratory corridors are also essential for maintaining genetic diversity in populations and avoiding harmful genetic isolation. The more habitat strongholds are connected, the better the chances are for wildlife to survive the stresses of habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate disruption.

Safeguarding these critical habitats will need collaboration and cooperation between the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, its State Land Office, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, private landowners, and Tribal entities.

Because New Mexico’s incredible wildlife resources are so important, we must continue to push decision-makers and our elected officials to build on a promising start to the work of migration corridor conservation. I urge everyone who cares about our big game herds to speak up and help secure the future of these animals, which are critical to our state’s culture, economy, and wild lands.

John Cornell is the Southwest Field Manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and has advocated for sportsmen and women in New Mexico for over 12 years. He lives outside Hillsboro.