— by Chelsea Carson —
Just as humans use roads, airways, and trails to travel between places, wildlife must also use corridors to travel between habitats. A wildlife corridor connects two or more similar areas of native wildlife habitat so wild animals may freely move through time and space. These corridors are incredibly important for migratory routes, breeding cycles, food sources, and the natural flow of movement for each individual and species. Many of the important animal “freeways” throughout the world have been fragmented due to human development, agriculture, and private land use. One good deed we can do to help wildlife is to protect or restore critical local habitat. Whether we are located within a designated corridor, or live in an urban setting there is opportunity to get involved and help protect or restore crucial habitat for migrating animals.
A few examples of how to make an impact are:
-volunteer on a habitat restoration project
-plant native wildflowers and trees in our home garden or yard
-take down fences in our yard which could inhibit wildlife movement
-support the building of a wildlife crossing if relevant where you live
-work with our local Planning & Zoning commission to preserve habitat for wild animals
-learn about and spread the word about seasonal, annual, and daily movement trends of wild animals in our areas
These opportunities exist within urban as well as rural zones. Cities share habitat with wildlife and many are working on creating green corridors to restore their natural movement patterns. It is fascinating to find out which local projects, zoning commissions, and migration trends we find close to our home.
Image from https://firstforwildlife.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/issue-of-the-week-wildlife-corridors/
Chelsea Carson, a graduate student at Idaho State University, is a volunteer at Earthfire Institute. She is helping to build education and outreach capacity with the goal to increase environmental stewardship and community service.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi
Then share it to inspire others.
