And while a misguided raccoon, skunk or deer is unlikely to cause harm to the human residents of our shared habitat, humans most definitely can cause harm to the animals. One of the best ways to protect our wildlife is to develop corridors connecting their homes to one another, allowing the animals more freedom to roam. Something like a painted turtle could travel from river to pond without getting run over by a car. Animals aren't the only open space dwellers that benefit from the preservation of corridors. These buffers are important to much of the States rare plant life because of the manner through which their seeds are dispersed.
Some seeds travel on the wind, or downstream through our waterways.
Others are distributed by animal droppings. But a wildflower seed that ends up on a chemically treated lawn has virtually no chance to develop. The endangered Early Fen Sedge cannot survive if its wetland home is filled to make way for a shopping center. It's not just an Illinois problem. Corridors for migratory birds and insects are becoming critically imperiled worldwide, as more and more land is converted to housing and industry.