SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. -- Wildlife managers across the West have a new tool at their disposal when it comes to protecting iconic big game.

A new report published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides detailed maps of GPS tracked migration routes for mule deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and bison.

Matthew Kauffman, USGS wildlife researcher and the report's lead author, said stakeholders from conservationists to transportation agencies have long realized it's critical to understand how big game move across Arizona's landscapes.

"And are ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work to enhance and maintain the connectivity of these migration corridors," Kauffman shared. "And now they have a tool that can guide that on-the-ground work."

Development across the West, from energy production to expanding suburbs, has created roadblocks on routes used by wildlife for thousands of years.

Kauffman explained the new maps provide a blueprint for helping animals get back on track. Conservationists are hopeful the maps can also be used to monitor and limit the spread of contagious diseases such as chronic wasting disease.

Kauffman emphasized the research confirms migration is how most animals stay alive in western states. New vegetation sprouts in lower elevations in early spring, and as temperatures rise, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and other ungulates ride what Kauffman calls a green wave into higher elevations where their favorite food pops up next.

Climate change is also impacting migration. Longer and more severe drought has altered when and where food is available along historical corridors.

"Drought disrupts that green wave, and makes it more difficult for animals to surf," Kauffman reported. "They still try, they do their best given the drought conditions, but they just can't be in the right place at the right time."

The new study builds on more than two decades of research by state wildlife agencies including GPS tracking-collar data, mapping more than 40 big-game migration routes in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

Kauffman added the maps are available to state and local agencies, and other stakeholders working to keep migration corridors and animal populations viable in Arizona and across the West.


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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will soon have a new director, and she's taking stock of the challenges ahead.

More than half of Wyoming's total acreage is public land, and it's the least densely populated state in the Lower 48. So the director of its Game and Fish Department has a big job managing wildlife and habitats.

Gov. Mark Gordon recently appointed Angi Bruce to the role, the first woman to helm the agency. She is scheduled to take office in September.

Bruce said the state has a strong legacy, including the highest population of greater sage-grouse in the country, and the longest mule deer migration corridor in the world. But as weather patterns change and public land use increases, Bruce said the agency will need to focus on habitat resiliency.

"So, really looking at how we can make our habitat even stronger and more resilient to have the wildlife be able to take in those stressors and maintain their healthy populations will be a huge priority in the next few years," she said, "but then over the next decade as well."

Wildlife conservation requires work across agencies, which Bruce said makes outcomes stronger. She's looking out for important upcoming federal decisions that will affect state wildlife management for greater sage-grouse and resource management in the Rock Springs area.

Bruce said the department faces challenges including wildlife diseases. Chronic Wasting Disease, for one, is a fatal condition that affects mule and white-tailed deer, elk and moose, and its steady spread has become more concerning in recent years.

"Disease is where we don't have all the answers," she said, "and we definitely need more work done both management and research to understand it."

In her first year, Bruce said, she will prioritize listening to others-both within her department and Wyoming citizens at large.


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An art exhibit in Seattle is highlighting the dire situation for orca off the coast of Washington.

The show, called SUPER POD: All Together features all the members of the endangered Southern Resident orca pods.

Gabriel Newton, the artist behind the project, painted the whales in acrylic on 45 pieces of wood found on the shores of the Salish Sea, where the whales travel and feed. He said the whales are struggling to hold on.

"It was inspired by wanting to raise awareness around the plight that they're in and the lack of food that they're experiencing," Newton explained. "And to motivate people to take action to help the orcas recover."

There were 74 members of the Southern Residents left when Newton started the project but a recent population analysis found there are only 72 left. Newton argued removing dams on the lower Snake River would allow more chinook salmon, which are the whales' main food source, to travel to the Pacific Ocean. The exhibit opens at the A/NT Gallery at Seattle Center Aug. 1.

Deborah Giles, science and research director for the nonprofit Wild Orca, said the lack of prey is the biggest issue for the Southern Resident orcas. She stressed drastic action is needed to save them, including curtailing fishing to ensure they have enough food.

"These whales are not recovering, and they're not recovering because we're not taking serious enough action with regard to fisheries management," Giles contended. "That's the bottom line."

Newton added it is critical to save the killer whales and salmon, not just for them but for us as well.

"Anytime a thread in the web of life is broken our own capacity to thrive is reduced," Newton asserted. "I view orcas and salmon as both very integral threads."


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The federal Bureau of Land Management has published a new plan for managing public lands which will put oil and gas management in sync with Colorado's big-game conservation policies.

Suzanne O'Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, said the proposed final plan, which will impact BLM-managed lands in all 64 Colorado counties, is an important move to protect Colorado's iconic wildlife.

"It will help safeguard mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep habitats," O'Neill outlined. "These populations inhabit almost three quarters of the 8.3 million surface acres that the BLM manages."

The plan would amend management plans for 12 BLM field offices in Colorado by limiting active oil and gas sites to one per square mile in big-game high priority habitat. It also requires operators to minimize and offset direct, indirect and cumulative adverse impacts on wildlife. The BLM's proposed final Western Solar Plan revision is expected to be published this summer.

John Howard, former chairman of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission during the Hickenlooper administration, believes the plan will give energy developers more certainty and should also cut the red tape found when dealing with multiple regulatory environments, which are not always on the same page.

"I think most of them are going to react very positively to having something that aligns so well between the federal government, the state government and local government," Howard projected.

The BLM is charged with managing lands owned by all Americans for multiple uses, including hunting, fishing, camping, rafting and hiking. O'Neill pointed to a 2020 report showing work is also needed to ensure trails and other recreation areas do not harm wildlife.

"They need to be appropriately sited, so they don't disturb wildlife that are birthing in the spring, or trying to migrate," O'Neill urged. "They need to be located in the right places."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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