I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9776 

To provide for the conservation of wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 

Mr. BEYER (for himself, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Ms. LOFGREN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, 

Transportation and Infrastructure, and Armed Services, for a period to 

be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To provide for the conservation of wildlife corridors and 

habitat connectivity, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Conserva6 tion Act of 2024’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—SCIENCE AND MAPPING OF WILDLIFE CORRIDORS AND 

HABITAT CONNECTIVITY 

Sec. 101. Program establishment. 

TITLE II—COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIP, AND CONSERVATION 

OF AMERICAN WILDLIFE CORRIDORS 

Sec. 201. Designation of American wildlife corridors. 

Sec. 202. Management of American wildlife corridors. 

Sec. 203. Resource sharing and coordination. 

Sec. 204. Coordinating Committee. 

Sec. 205. Effect. 

TITLE III—TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS 

Sec. 301. Tribal Wildlife Corridors. 

TITLE IV—WILDLIFE CORRIDOR GRANT PROGRAM ON NONFEDERAL LAND AND WATER 

Sec. 401. Wildlife corridor grant program. 

TITLE V— FUNDING 

Sec. 501. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

3 (1) the native fish, wildlife, and plant species in 

4 the United States are part of a rich natural heritage 

5 and an important legacy to pass on to future genera6 tions; 

7 (2) the populations of many native fish, wildlife, 

8 and plant species in the United States are in decline; 

9 (3) scientists estimate that, in the United 

10 States, 34 percent of plants and 40 percent of ani11 mals are at risk of extinction and 41 percent of eco12 systems are at risk of range-wide collapse; 


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1 (4) threats to the survival and diversity of 

2 many native fish, wildlife, and plant species in the 

3 United States include the loss, degradation, frag4 mentation, and obstruction of natural habitats; 

5 (5) habitat fragmentation reduces native bio6 diversity by up to 75 percent and impairs key eco7 system functions; 

8 (6) climate change threatens native fish, wild9 life, and plant species; 

10 (7) the document published by the Intergovern11 mental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and 

12 Ecosystem Services titled ‘‘Global assessment report 

13 on biodiversity and ecosystem services’’ (2019) 

14 found that— 

15 (A) 1,000,000 wildlife and plant species 

16 worldwide are now threatened with extinction; 

17 and 

18 (B) 75 percent of the land-based environ19 ment, and approximately 66 percent of the ma20 rine environment, have been significantly al21 tered by human actions; 

22 (8) the conservation of new and existing land23 scape and seascape corridors, through which native 

24 species can transition from 1 habitat to another, 

25 plays an important role in helping— 


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1 (A) to conserve native biodiversity; and 

2 (B) to ensure resiliency against impacts 

3 from a range of biotic and abiotic stressors; 

4 (9) the conservation, restoration, and establish5 ment of new ecological connections to facilitate the 

6 movement of species into more suitable habitats is a 

7 key climate change adaptation strategy; 

8 (10) the protection of new and existing cor9 ridors is often 1 of the first steps in restoration and 

10 recovery planning; 

11 (11) States have recognized the importance of 

12 habitat connectivity, including through— 

13 (A) at least 83 pieces of State legislation 

14 passed in 20 States since 2019, which have 

15 supported actions including identification of 

16 wildlife corridors and coordination of State 

17 agencies, Tribes, non-governmental organiza18 tions, and other partners to address habitat 

19 connectivity issues; 

20 (B) a New England Governors and East21 ern Canadian Premiers’ Conference on the im22 portance of connectivity for ecosystem adapt23 ability and resilience, biodiversity, and human 

24 communities; and 


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1 (C) a Western Governors’ Association pol2 icy resolution; 

3 (12) the document published by the Council on 

4 Environmental Quality titled ‘‘Guidance for Federal 

5 Departments and Agencies on Ecological 

6 Connectivity and Wildlife Corridors’’ (March 21, 

7 2023) acknowledges that ‘‘connectivity is vital to 

8 ecosystem health and functions’’ and ‘‘it is signifi9 cant to humans as well and supports the strong cul10 tural and spiritual connections that communities 

11 have to nature’’; 

12 (13) Federal and State agencies continue to de13 velop policies to address— 

14 (A) the importance of conserving fish, 

15 wildlife, and plant corridors; 

16 (B) the gap between science and manage17 ment for at-risk species; and 

18 (C) ecological connectivity; and 

19 (14) Federal policies consistently recognize the 

20 importance of voluntary improvement projects by 

21 private landowners to habitat conservation and res22 toration for native species. 

23 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

24 (1) to support a diverse array of fish and wild25 life, including species conserved under Federal, 


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1 State, and Tribal law, that have experienced or may 

2 experience habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, 

3 or obstruction to habitat connectivity; 

4 (2) to provide long-term habitat connectivity for 

5 fish and wildlife migration, dispersal, genetic ex6 change, and adaptation to climate and other envi7 ronmental change; 

8 (3) to restore fish and wildlife movements that 

9 have been disrupted by habitat loss, degradation, 

10 fragmentation, or obstruction; 

11 (4) to facilitate coordinated landscape- and 

12 seascape-scale connectivity planning and manage13 ment across jurisdictions; and 

14 (5) to support in prioritizing, establishing, and 

15 managing wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity 

16 areas. 

17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act: 

19 (1) COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP.—The term 

20 ‘‘collaborative partnership’’ means a collaborative 

21 partnership established under section 203(a). 

22 (2) COORDINATING COMMITTEE.—The term 

23 ‘‘Coordinating Committee’’ means Coordinating 

24 Committee established under section 204(a). 


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1 (3) AMERICAN WILDLIFE CORRIDOR.—The term 

2 ‘‘American wildlife corridor’’ means a corridor des3 ignated by the Secretary concerned under section 

4 201(b). 

5 (4) HABITAT.—The term ‘‘habitat’’ means 

6 land, water, and substrate necessary at any time 

7 during the life cycle of fish and wildlife for spawn8 ing, breeding, feeding, growth to maturity, or migra9 tion. 

10 (5) HABITAT CONNECTIVITY.—The term ‘‘habi11 tat connectivity’’ means the degree to which the 

12 landscape (including terrestrial, riparian, and aquat13 ic habitats) or seascape facilitates fish and wildlife 

14 movement. 

15 (6) HABITAT CONNECTIVITY AREA.—The term 

16 ‘‘habitat connectivity area’’ means an identified, dis17 tinct component of the natural world in the United 

18 States that provides habitat connectivity, a migra19 tion route, seasonal habitat, or a dispersal area to 

20 a native species. 

21 (7) INDIAN LAND.—The term ‘‘Indian land’’ 

22 means land of an Indian Tribe, or an Indian indi23 vidual, that is— 

24 (A) held in trust by the United States; or 


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1 (B) subject to a restriction against alien2 ation imposed by the United States. 

3 (8) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

4 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

5 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

6 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

7 (9) MILITARY INSTALLATION.—The term ‘‘mili8 tary installation’’ has the meaning given the term in 

9 section 100 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670), and 

10 includes military off-shore range complexes and off11 shore operating areas. 

12 (10) REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIP.—The 

13 term ‘‘regional ocean partnership’’ means a regional 

14 organization of coastal or Great Lakes States, terri15 tories, or possessions voluntarily convened by Gov16 ernors to address cross-jurisdictional ocean matters, 

17 or the functional equivalent of such a regional ocean 

18 organization designated by the Governor or Gov19 ernors of a State or States. 

20 (11) SECRETARY CONCERNED.— 

21 (A) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term 

22 ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means the Secretary 

23 with applicable jurisdiction from among the fol24 lowing: 

25 (i) The Secretary of the Interior. 


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1 (ii) The Secretary of Transportation. 

2 (iii) The Secretary of Agriculture, act3 ing through the Chief of the Forest Serv4 ice. 

5 (iv) The Secretary of Commerce, act6 ing through the Administrator of the Na7 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis8 tration. 

9 (v) The Secretary of Defense. 

10 (B) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secre11 taries’’ means each of the Secretaries described 

12 in subparagraph (A). 

13 (12) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDOR.—The term 

14 ‘‘Tribal wildlife corridor’’ means a corridor estab15 lished by the Secretary under section 301. 

16 (13) UNITED STATES.—The term ‘‘United 

17 States’’, when used in a geographical sense, 

18 means— 

19 (A) a State; 

20 (B) the District of Columbia; 

21 (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

22 (D) Guam; 

23 (E) American Samoa; 

24 (F) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

25 Mariana Islands; 


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1 (G) the Federated States of Micronesia; 

2 (H) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; 

3 (I) the Republic of Palau; 

4 (J) the United States Virgin Islands; and 

5 (K) all marine waters within the jurisdic6 tion of the United States. 

7 (14) WILDLIFE MOVEMENT.—The term ‘‘wild8 life movement’’ means the passage of individual 

9 members or populations of a native fish, wildlife, or 

10 plant species across a landscape or seascape. 

11 TITLE I—SCIENCE AND MAPPING 

12 OF WILDLIFE CORRIDORS 

13 AND HABITAT CONNECTIVITY 

14 SEC. 101. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish 

16 and maintain a habitat connectivity area mapping and 

17 science program to carry out this section. 

18 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program is to de19 velop mapping and science to support Federal, State, 

20 local, and Tribal governments and the public in efforts to 

21 protect habitat connectivity areas. 

22 (c) WILDLIFE MOVEMENT, MIGRATION, AND HABI23 TAT CONNECTIVITY MAPPING.— 

24 (1) MAPPING EFFORTS.—The Director shall ex25 pand and build upon existing agency efforts to map 


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1 fish and wildlife habitat connectivity areas. Such ef2 forts shall include working with, incorporating data 

3 from, and sharing data between— 

4 (A) Federal agencies; 

5 (B) State, Tribal, and local governments; 

6 (C) nongovernmental organizations; and 

7 (D) academic institutions. 

8 (2) USE OF TECHNOLOGY.—The Director 

9 shall— 

10 (A) use new data management, visualiza11 tion, and analysis capabilities to analyze fish 

12 and wildlife movements and delineate habitat 

13 connectivity areas; and 

14 (B) share these capabilities with Federal, 

15 State, local, and Tribal wildlife managers. 

16 (3) DISTRIBUTION OF MAPS.—The Director 

17 shall develop and make available to the public— 

18 (A) a database of fish and wildlife habitat 

19 connectivity areas; and 

20 (B) maps of habitat connectivity areas and 

21 American wildlife corridors to guide land-use 

22 planning and on-the-ground management of 

23 fish and wildlife resources. 

24 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

25 date of the enactment of this section, the Director 


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1 shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources 

2 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

3 on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a 

4 report that— 

5 (A) provides an assessment of existing 

6 maps, data, models, surveys, and descriptions of 

7 habitat connectivity areas that have been devel8 oped by— 

9 (i) Federal, State, Tribal, and local 

10 fish and wildlife agencies and natural her11 itage programs; 

12 (ii) nongovernmental organizations; 

13 and 

14 (iii) industry; and 

15 (B) identifies gaps in information about 

16 native species wildlife corridors or habitat 

17 connectivity areas. 

18 (5) PROPRIETARY INTERESTS AND PROTECTED

19 INFORMATION.—In carrying out this section, the Di20 rector shall— 

21 (A) protect proprietary interests with re22 spect to confidential information and licensed 

23 data; and 

24 (B) protect such information relating to 

25 the habitats and ranges of specific native fish 


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1 and wildlife as the Director determines appro2 priate to protect such fish and wildlife. 

3 (d) WILDLIFE MOVEMENT, MIGRATION, AND HABI4 TAT CONNECTIVITY RESEARCH.—The Director shall con5 duct research to help guide management of habitat 

6 connectivity areas, including— 

7 (1) a study to evaluate the impacts of climate 

8 change on habitat connectivity areas and forecast 

9 how habitat connectivity areas and American wildlife 

10 corridors may need to shift to allow fish and wildlife 

11 to adapt; 

12 (2) a study to quantify the effect of ongoing 

13 and planned development on habitat connectivity 

14 areas and American wildlife corridors; 

15 (3) a study to develop new mapping methods to 

16 prioritize critical wildlife corridors or habitat 

17 connectivity areas; and 

18 (4) a study to evaluate the effectiveness of ef19 forts to address habitat fragmentation and mitiga20 tion barriers to fish and wildlife movement and mi21 gration through habitat connectivity areas. 

22 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

24 the Director of the United States Geological Survey. 


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1 (2) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

2 the habitat connectivity area mapping and science 

3 program established by the Director under sub4 section (a). 

5 TITLE II—COLLABORATION, 

6 PARTNERSHIP, AND CON7 SERVATION OF AMERICAN 

8 WILDLIFE CORRIDORS 

9 SEC. 201. DESIGNATION OF AMERICAN WILDLIFE COR10 RIDORS. 

11 (a) NOMINATIONS.— 

12 (1) PARTNER AGENCIES NOMINATIONS.—State, 

13 Tribal, and local governments and collaborative part14 nerships may nominate Federal lands and waters as 

15 American wildlife corridors. 

16 (2) COORDINATING COMMITTEE NOMINA17 TIONS.—The Coordinating Committee shall, not 

18 later than 2 years after the date on which the Co19 ordinating Committee is established and not less fre20 quently than every 5 years thereafter, nominate 

21 habitat connectivity areas to be designated as Amer22 ican wildlife corridors. 

23 (b) DESIGNATION OF AMERICAN WILDLIFE COR24 RIDORS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall review 

2 each habitat connectivity area within the jurisdiction 

3 of the Secretaries, giving priority to areas nominated 

4 under subsection (a), and designate habitat 

5 connectivity areas as a American wildlife corridors 

6 according to the criteria established under sub7 section (d). 

8 (2) NOMINATED AREAS.—With respect to any 

9 area for which the Secretary concerned receives a 

10 nomination under subsection (a), the Secretary con11 cerned shall make a determination under paragraph 

12 (1) not later than 1 year after the date on which the 

13 Secretary concerned receives such nomination. 

14 (c) MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE CORRIDORS AND

15 HABITAT CONNECTIVITY AREAS.—Not later than 6 

16 months after a designation under subsection (b), the Sec17 retaries shall make such land use and management plans 

18 (or revisions of existing such plans) as the Secretaries de19 termine appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Act. 

20 (d) PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA.—The Secretaries 

21 shall establish criteria to determine which habitat 

22 connectivity areas to designate as American wildlife cor23 ridors. Such criteria shall include— 

24 (1) whether such designation is in concert with 

25 existing— 


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1 (A) Federal land and resource manage2 ment plans and the ongoing management activi3 ties for wildlife corridors or habitat connectivity 

4 areas on Federal lands and waters; 

5 (B) State, Tribal, and collaborative part6 nership management plans; and 

7 (C) Tribal wildlife corridors; 

8 (2) the use of the best available science relating 

9 to— 

10 (A) existing fish and wildlife habitat 

11 connectivity areas; and 

12 (B) potential future native species habitats 

13 connectivity areas; and 

14 (3) whether the unit of land or water is a pri15 ority for conservation and restoration because the 

16 area— 

17 (A) provides habitat connectivity and sup18 ports the persistence, resilience, adaptability, 

19 and movement of fish and wildlife; 

20 (B) has the potential to benefit more than 

21 1 species of fish and wildlife; or 

22 (C) has the potential to benefit a fish or 

23 wildlife species that is listed as a threatened 

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1 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 

2 et seq.). 

3 (e) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretaries 

5 shall issue such regulations as the Secretaries determine 

6 necessary to carry out this section. 

7 SEC. 202. MANAGEMENT OF AMERICAN WILDLIFE COR8 RIDORS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall manage 

10 American wildlife corridors in a manner that contributes 

11 to the long-term persistence, resilience, adaptability, and 

12 movement of fish and wildlife through— 

13 (1) the maintenance, restoration, or improve14 ment of habitat connectivity, including establishment 

15 of clear goals and monitoring plans; 

16 (2) the limitation of human infrastructure, de17 velopment, and activities that impede the natural 

18 movement of fish and wildlife; 

19 (3) the implementation of strategies and activi20 ties that enhance the ability of fish and wildlife to 

21 respond to changing environmental conditions; 

22 (4) the use of existing conservation programs 

23 managed by the Secretary concerned to contribute to 

24 the persistence, resilience, adaptability, and move25 ment of fish and wildlife; and 


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1 (5) providing education and outreach regarding 

2 the benefits of American wildlife corridors and habi3 tat connectivity areas. 

4 (b) COORDINATED MANAGEMENT.—Not later than 2 

5 years after the date of the enactment of this section, each 

6 of the Secretaries shall update all relevant regulations, or7 ders, guidance documents, policies, instructions, manuals, 

8 directives, notices, implementing actions, and other rel9 evant documents and procedures to support the manage10 ment and long-term conservation of habitat connectivity 

11 areas. 

12 (c) LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN REVI13 SION.—The Secretaries shall, during each land use or re14 source plan review, amend or revise each such plan to— 

15 (1) conserve, restore, and manage habitat 

16 connectivity areas; 

17 (2) consider designating the land or water as a 

18 American wildlife corridor under section 201(b). 

19 (d) MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS.—The Secretaries 

20 shall carry out conservation and restoration activities in 

21 American wildlife corridors that are subject to the jurisdic22 tion of more than 1 of the Secretaries in consultation with 

23 each of the Secretaries concerned. 

24 (e) ROAD MITIGATION.—In the case of American 

25 wildlife corridors that intersect, adjoin, or cross a new or 


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1 existing State, Tribal, or local road or highway, the Secre2 taries shall consult with State, Tribal, and local transpor3 tation agencies, as appropriate, to identify and implement 

4 voluntary environmental mitigation measures— 

5 (1) to improve public safety and reduce vehicle6 caused fish and wildlife mortality while conserving or 

7 restoring habitat connectivity; and 

8 (2) to mitigate damage to the natural move9 ments of fish and wildlife through strategies includ10 ing— 

11 (A) the construction, maintenance, or re12 placement of fish and wildlife underpasses, 

13 overpasses, culverts, fences, and other mitiga14 tion measures; and 

15 (B) the maintenance, replacement, or re16 moval of dams, bridges, culverts, and other 

17 hydrological obstructions. 

18 (f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

19 after the date of the enactment of this section, and not 

20 less frequently than every 5 years thereafter, the Coordi21 nating Committee shall submit to Congress a report re22 garding the efforts of the Secretaries to carry out this Act 

23 and the effect of such efforts on the conservation and 

24 management of habitat connectivity, seasonal habitat, 

25 wildlife movement, and migration routes on Federal land 


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1 and water, including the following with respect to Federal 

2 land and waters: 

3 (1) A description of existing management prac4 tices relating to the purposes of this Act. 

5 (2) An inventory of known wildlife movement 

6 structures and fish passage projects. 

7 (3) A description of short- and long-term 

8 threats to wildlife corridors or habitat connectivity 

9 areas. 

10 (4) A description of opportunities to conserve 

11 and improve the quality and condition of habitat 

12 connectivity, seasonal habitat, dispersal areas, wild13 life movement, and migration routes. 

14 (5) A description of opportunities to coordinate 

15 State, Tribal, and local governments and collabo16 rative partnership efforts to carry out this Act with 

17 other landscape-scale conservation plans. 

18 (6) Strategies for climate adaptation and resil19 ience with respect to habitat connectivity, seasonal 

20 habitat, wildlife movement, and migration routes. 

21 (7) A description of opportunities to expand 

22 partnerships with State, Tribal, and local govern23 ments, collaborative partnerships, and the public to 

24 carry out the purposes of this Act. 


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1 (8) A description of current transportation pro2 grams, funding mechanisms and other authorities 

3 that could be used to conserve and improve habitat 

4 connectivity, seasonal habitat, dispersal areas, wild5 life movement, and migration routes. 

6 SEC. 203. RESOURCE SHARING AND COORDINATION. 

7 (a) COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries may estab9 lish collaborative partnerships with entities described 

10 in paragraph (3) that are balanced, multistakeholder 

11 groups that are transparent, nonexclusive, and rea12 sonably representative of affected interests to fur13 ther the purposes of this Act that— 

14 (A) establish agreement on— 

15 (i) the role of Federal, State, Tribal, 

16 and local governments agencies; 

17 (ii) how the Secretary concerned will 

18 coordinate efforts to conserve, restore, and 

19 manage habitat connectivity areas; and 

20 (B) identify regional liaisons to represent 

21 the collective Federal agencies in working with 

22 State, Tribal, and local governments, collabo23 rative partnerships, and the public to carry out 

24 such conservation, restoration, and manage25 ment; and 


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1 (2) COORDINATORS.—The Secretaries shall 

2 each appoint a national-level coordinator to work 

3 with the regional liaisons identified under paragraph 

4 (1)(B) and monitor implementation of the efforts of 

5 collaborative partnerships. 

6 (3) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—The entities de7 scribed in this paragraph are the following: 

8 (A) Voluntary private landowners. 

9 (B) Nonprofit organizations. 

10 (C) Federal, State, Tribal, and local agen11 cies. 

12 (D) Elected officials. 

13 (E) Stakeholder groups. 

14 (b) RESOURCE SHARING.—The Secretaries shall 

15 partner with, and provide technical assistance and other 

16 resources to, State, Tribal, and local governments, collabo17 rative partnerships, and voluntary private landowners to 

18 support the purposes of this Act. 

19 (c) CONSULTATION.—The Secretaries shall imple20 ment this title in consultation with— 

21 (1) other relevant Federal agencies through the 

22 Coordinating Committee; 

23 (2) State, Tribal, and local governments, in24 cluding fish and wildlife, natural resource manage25 ment, and transportation agencies; 


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1 (3) with respect to any action that directly af2 fects a private landowner, such private landowner; 

3 (4) such other stakeholders as the Secretaries 

4 determine appropriate; and 

5 (5) landscape- and seascape-scale partnerships, 

6 including— 

7 (A) National Fish Habitat Partnerships; 

8 (B) the Regional Fishery Management 

9 Councils established under section 302(a) of the 

10 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

11 Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(a)); 

12 (C) relevant regional ocean partnerships; 

13 (D) the Climate Science Centers of the De14 partment of the Interior; 

15 (E) Migratory Bird Joint Ventures; and 

16 (F) the Landscape Conservation Coopera17 tive Network. 

18 SEC. 204. COORDINATING COMMITTEE. 

19 (a) COORDINATING COMMITTEE.—Not later than 

20 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, 

21 the Secretaries shall establish a coordinating committee 

22 composed of representatives of the Secretaries. 

23 (b) STRATEGY FOR PRIORITIZATION.—Not later than 

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1 mittee is established, the Coordinating Committee shall 

2 develop a strategy— 

3 (1) for nominating American wildlife corridors 

4 for designation under section 203(a); 

5 (2) to support the fulfillment of the purposes of 

6 this Act; 

7 (3) to ensure coordination and consistency with 

8 Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments and 

9 collaborative partnerships in conserving wildlife cor10 ridors or habitat connectivity areas; 

11 (4) to provide education or outreach regarding 

12 the benefits of wildlife corridors or habitat 

13 connectivity areas; and 

14 (5) such other measures as the Coordinating 

15 Committee determines necessary for implementation 

16 of this Act. 

17 SEC. 205. EFFECT. 

18 (a) JURISDICTION OF STATES AND INDIAN

19 TRIBES.—Nothing in this title affects the jurisdiction of 

20 a State or an Indian Tribe with respect to fish and wildlife 

21 management, including the regulation of hunting, fishing, 

22 and trapping, in a American wildlife corridor or a Tribal 

23 Wildlife Corridor. 

24 (b) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section au25 thorizes— 


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1 (1) any seizure of private property through emi2 nent domain; or 

3 (2) the imposition of any restriction on the use 

4 of private land without the consent of the landowner. 

5 (c) DEFENSE WAIVERS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 

7 may waive any requirement of this title with respect 

8 to a military installation if such Secretary deter9 mines that such waiver is necessary— 

10 (A) to ensure the preparedness of the 

11 Armed Forces; or 

12 (B) to support the military mission of the 

13 military installation. 

14 (2) PUBLIC NOTICE.—The Secretary of Defense 

15 shall publish each waiver issued under paragraph (1) 

16 unless such Secretary determines that such publica17 tion will have a negative effect on national security. 

18 TITLE III—TRIBAL WILDLIFE 

19 CORRIDORS 

20 SEC. 301. TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

23 (A) NOMINATIONS.—An Indian Tribe may 

24 nominate a corridor within the jurisdiction of 

25 such Indian Tribe as a Tribal wildlife corridor 


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1 by submitting an application to the Secretary of 

2 the Interior at such time, in such manner, and 

3 containing such information as such Secretary, 

4 in consultation with the Director of the Bureau 

5 of Indian Affairs, may require. 

6 (B) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 90 

7 days after the date on which the Secretary of 

8 the Interior receives an application under sub9 paragraph (A), such Secretary shall determine 

10 whether the nominated Tribal Wildlife Corridor 

11 described in the application meets the criteria 

12 established under paragraph (2). 

13 (C) PUBLICATION.—On approval of an ap14 plication under subparagraph (B), the Sec15 retary of the Interior shall publish in the Fed16 eral Register a notice of the establishment of 

17 the Tribal Wildlife Corridor, which shall include 

18 a map and description of the Tribal Wildlife 

19 Corridor. 

20 (2) CRITERIA.— 

21 (A) ESTABLISHMENT OF CRITERIA.—Not 

22 later than 18 months after the date of the en23 actment of this section, the Secretary of the In24 terior shall establish criteria for determining 

25 whether to designate a corridor nominated by 


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1 an Indian Tribe under paragraph (1)(A) as a 

2 Tribal Wildlife Corridor. 

3 (B) REQUIRED CRITERIA.—The criteria es4 tablished under subparagraph (A) shall include 

5 consideration of the historical, present, and po6 tential future role of the areas as a habitat 

7 connectivity area. 

8 (3) TERMINATION.—An Indian Tribe may elect 

9 to terminate the designation of a Tribal Wildlife 

10 Corridor within the jurisdiction of such Tribe by no11 tifying the Secretary of the Interior of such election. 

12 (b) COORDINATION OF LAND USE PLANS.—Section 

13 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

14 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘Indian tribes by’’ and in17 serting the following: ‘‘Indian Tribes— 

18 ‘‘(1) by’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

20 striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

21 and’’; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(2) for the purposes of determining whether 

24 the land use plans for land in the National Forest 

25 System would provide additional habitat connectivity 


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1 to benefit the purposes of a Tribal wildlife corridor 

2 established under section 301 of the Wildlife Cor3 ridors and Habitat Connectivity Conservation Act of 

4 2024.’’; and 

5 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(g) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.—On the estab7 lishment of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor under section 301 

8 of the Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Con9 servation Act of 2024, the Secretary shall conduct a mean10 ingful consultation with the Indian Tribe that administers 

11 the Tribal Wildlife Corridor to determine whether, through 

12 the revision of 1 or more existing land use plans, the Trib13 al Wildlife Corridor can— 

14 ‘‘(1) be expanded into public lands; or 

15 ‘‘(2) otherwise benefit habitat connectivity (as 

16 defined in section 2 of that Act) between public 

17 lands and the Tribal Wildlife Corridor.’’. 

18 (c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

19 provide technical assistance to Indian Tribes relating to 

20 the establishment, management, and expansion of a Tribal 

21 Wildlife Corridor, including assistance with accessing wild22 life data and working with voluntary private landowners 

23 to access Federal and State programs to improve habitat 

24 connectivity on non-Federal land. 


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1 (d) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section may 

2 be construed to— 

3 (1) authorize the Federal Government to con4 duct any activity on Indian land without the consent 

5 of each affected Indian Tribe; or 

6 (2) alter or waive the Federal trust responsi7 bility to Indian Tribes. 

8 (e) EXEMPTION FROM FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

9 ACT.— 

10 (1) EXEMPTION.—Information described in 

11 paragraph (2) is not subject to disclosure under sec12 tion 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly 

13 known as the ‘‘Freedom of Information Act’’), if the 

14 head of the agency that receives the information, in 

15 consultation with the Secretary and the affected In16 dian Tribe, determines that disclosure may— 

17 (A) cause a significant invasion of privacy; 

18 (B) risk harm to human remains or re19 sources, cultural items, uses, or activities; or 

20 (C) impede the use of a traditional reli21 gious site by practitioners. 

22 (2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—Information 

23 referred to in paragraph (1) is information received 

24 by a Federal agency— 

25 (A) pursuant to this section relating to— 


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1 (i) the location, character, or owner2 ship of human remains of a person of In3 dian ancestry; or 

4 (ii) resources, cultural items, uses, or 

5 activities identified by an Indian Tribe as 

6 traditional or cultural because of the long7 established significance or ceremonial na8 ture to the Indian Tribe; or 

9 (B) pursuant to the Native American 

10 Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 

11 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.). 

12 TITLE IV—WILDLIFE CORRIDOR 

13 GRANT PROGRAM ON NON14 FEDERAL LAND AND WATER 

15 SEC. 401. WILDLIFE CORRIDOR GRANT PROGRAM. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

17 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

18 enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Fish 

19 and Wildlife Foundation to establish and administer a 

20 wildlife corridor grant program (referred to in this section 

21 as the ‘‘grant program’’). 

22 (b) GRANTS.—Not later than 180 days after funds 

23 are made available to carry out this section, the Founda24 tion, in consultation with the Secretary and Coordinating 


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1 Committee, shall make grants to eligible entities to carry 

2 out projects that— 

3 (1) are consistent with criteria established by a 

4 technical advisory committee convened by the Foun5 dation and consisting of balanced representation 

6 from relevant Federal, State, and Tribal government 

7 agencies, affected private landowners, and non8 governmental organizations with relevant expertise; 

9 (2) are recommended or approved for funding 

10 by a review committee convened by the Foundation, 

11 including members of the Coordinating Committee; 

12 and 

13 (3) increase habitat connectivity and fish and 

14 wildlife movement and migration on non-Federal 

15 lands and waters. 

16 (c) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Foundation 

17 may expend not more than 5 percent of amounts appro18 priated to carry out this section for administrative ex19 penses in each fiscal year. 

20 (d) DONATIONS.—The Foundation may solicit and 

21 accept donations of amounts to carry out this section. 

22 (e) DISCLOSURE OF USE.—Not later than 1 year 

23 after the date of the enactment of this section, and not 

24 less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary and 

25 the Foundation shall publish a description of projects 


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1 funded by grants issued under subsection (b) during the 

2 preceding calendar year. 

3 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti5 ty’’ means— 

6 (A) a private landowner; 

7 (B) a State, Tribal, or local government or 

8 any agency thereof responsible for managing 

9 wildlife, natural resources, or transportation; 

10 (C) an agricultural cooperative; 

11 (D) a water, irrigation, or rural water dis12 trict or association, or other organization with 

13 water delivery authority, including acequias and 

14 land grant communities in the State of New 

15 Mexico; 

16 (E) an institution of higher education; 

17 (F) a nongovernmental organization; 

18 (G) a collaborative partnership; or 

19 (H) any group of entities described in sub20 paragraph (A) through (G). 

21 (2) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 

22 means the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. 

23 (3) GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘grant pro24 gram’’ means the wildlife corridor grant program es25 tablished pursuant to subsection (a). 


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1 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

3 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

4 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

5 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

6 the Secretary of the Interior. 

7 TITLE V— FUNDING 

8 SEC. 501. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 (a) SCIENCE AND MAPPING OF WILDLIFE COR10 RIDORS AND HABITAT CONNECTIVITY AREAS.—There is 

11 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte12 rior to carry out title I $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 

13 and each fiscal year thereafter. 

14 (b) COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIP, AND CON15 SERVATION OF WILDLIFE CORRIDORS AND HABITAT

16 CONNECTIVITY AREAS ON FEDERAL LAND AND

17 WATER.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 

18 out title II for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year there19 after— 

20 (1) to the Secretary of the Interior, 

21 $20,000,000; 

22 (2) to the Secretary of Transportation, 

23 $18,000,000; 

24 (3) to the Secretary of Agriculture, 

25 $10,000,000; 


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1 (4) to the Secretary of Commerce, $9,000,000; 

2 and 

3 (5) to the Secretary of Defense, $3,000,000. 

4 (c) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.—There is au5 thorized to be appropriated to carry out title III 

6 $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year 

7 thereafter. 

8 (d) WILDLIFE CORRIDOR GRANT PROGRAM ON NON9 FEDERAL LAND AND WATER.—There is authorized to be 

10 appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out 

11 title IV $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal 

12 year thereafter. Each fiscal year, not less than 10 percent 

13 of the total funds shall be reserved for projects that di14 rectly conserve, restore, or enhance big game migration 

15 corridors or seasonal habitat. 

Æ 


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