I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 717 
To establish the Wildlife Movement and Movement Area Grant Program 
and the State and Tribal Migration Research Program, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2025 
Mr. ZINKE (for himself and Mr. BEYER) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the Wildlife Movement and Movement Area 
Grant Program and the State and Tribal Migration Re-
search Program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wildlife Movement 
Through Partnerships Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to provide financial and 
technical assistance for the purposes of promoting 
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connectivity by improving habitat quality in movement 
areas by migratory big game and other wildlife— 
(1) to identify and conserve movement areas by 
methods of science and management expertise em-
ployed by State and Tribal wildlife agencies and 
other wildlife professionals; and 
(2) to coordinate and advance the purposes 
of— 
(A) Secretarial Order 3362, entitled ‘‘Im-
proving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game 
Winter Range and Migration Corridors’’ and 
issued by the Secretary on February 9, 2018; 
(B) the wildlife crossings pilot program es-
tablished under section 171(b) of title 23, 
United States Code; and 
(C) the Migratory Big Game Initiative of 
the Department of Agriculture. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BIG GAME.—The term ‘‘big game’’ means 
native species of large mammals, including deer, elk, 
pronghorn, wild sheep, and moose, for which State 
and Tribal wildlife agencies have established regu-
lated means and methods of take. 
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(2) CONNECTIVITY.—The term ‘‘connectivity’’ 
means the degree to which a species of wildlife 
moves within and among areas of its habitat. 
(3) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 
recipient’’ means— 
(A) a State fish and wildlife agency or 
other State agency responsible for managing 
natural resources or wildlife; 
(B) a State department of transportation; 
(C) an Indian Tribe; 
(D) a nonprofit organization described in 
section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) 
of such Code, or a coalition of those organiza-
tions, including an organization that represents 
private landowners; 
(E) an institution of higher education (as 
defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))); 
(F) a national or regional association rep-
resenting a State or Tribal fish and wildlife 
agency; 
(G) a Federal agency that may carry out 
projects that would support the purpose of this 
Act; and 
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(H) a county government. 
(4) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 
means land or water managed by the relevant agen-
cies. 
(5) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 
means the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
established by section 2(a) of the National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 
3701(a)). 
(6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(7) MOVEMENT AREA.—The term ‘‘movement 
area’’ means— 
(A) an area wildlife frequently use, or 
could frequently use, to move, including for 
travel within, or colonization, of additional habi-
tat by wildlife that occurs seasonally or more 
frequently in and around corridors; or 
(B) seasonal habitat where migration or 
other natural movement of big game and other 
wildlife has been observed and documented 
by— 
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(i) a State or Tribal wildlife agency; 
or 
(ii)(I) a scientific report published in 
a peer-reviewed professional publication; or 
(II) any other professional scientific 
publication recognized by a State or Tribal 
wildlife agency. 
(8) RELEVANT AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘relevant 
agencies’’ means— 
(A) the Department of the Interior, includ-
ing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of 
Land Management, the National Park Service, 
and the United States Geological Survey; 
(B) the Department of Agriculture, includ-
ing the Forest Service, the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, and the Farm Service 
Agency; and 
(C) the Department of Transportation. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(10) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘‘wildlife’’ means 
native terrestrial vertebrate species. 
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SEC. 4. WILDLIFE MOVEMENT AND MOVEMENT AREA 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish a nonregulatory program, to be known as the 
‘‘Wildlife Movement and Movement Area Grant Program’’ 
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘grant program’’). 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the grant program is 
to fund projects that improve or conserve habitat quality 
in movement areas, including projects that— 
(1) secure habitat leases, fence modification, 
non-Federal land acquisition, conservation ease-
ments, improved hydrology, human-wildlife vehicle 
collision reduction, and road and infrastructure 
modification; 
(2) arrange voluntary collaboration with land-
owners; and 
(3) coordinate efforts among State and Tribal 
governments, including departments of transpor-
tation and other relevant agencies. 
(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the Founda-
tion to administer the grant program for purposes of pro-
viding competitive matching grants in varying amounts to 
eligible recipients. 
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(d) GRANTS.— 
(1) PROPOSALS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date on which amounts are made 
available to carry out the grant program, and 
not less frequently than annually thereafter, the 
Foundation, in consultation with the Secretary, 
shall issue a request for proposals for projects 
to fund under the grant program. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—A proposal sub-
mitted to the Foundation by an eligible recipi-
ent for funding under the grant program shall 
identify 1 or more movement areas where habi-
tat improvement will be achieved, subject to the 
condition that the proposal shall include written 
acknowledgment of support from a State or 
Tribal fish and wildlife agency with jurisdiction 
over the movement area in which the proposal 
will be carried out. 
(2) COST SHARING.— 
(A) FEDERAL SHARE.—Except as provided 
in subparagraph (C), the Federal share of the 
cost of a project funded under the grant pro-
gram shall not exceed 90 percent of the total 
cost of the project. 
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(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Fed-
eral share of the cost of a project funded under 
the grant program— 
(i) except as provided in subparagraph 
(C), shall be not less than 10 percent of 
the total cost of the project; and 
(ii) may be provided in cash or in- 
kind, as determined by the Foundation. 
(C) WAIVER.—The Foundation may waive 
the requirements under subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) for projects that would benefit Indian 
Tribes, historically disadvantaged communities, 
or areas of persistent poverty, as determined by 
the Foundation. 
(e) REQUIREMENT.—After the date on which the Sec-
retary enters into a cooperative agreement with the Foun-
dation under subsection (c), any amounts received by the 
Foundation under this section shall be subject to the Na-
tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act 
(16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding section 10(a) of that 
Act (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)). 
(f) PRIORITY.—In funding projects under the grant 
program, the Foundation may give priority to proposals 
that are— 
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(1) submitted by an eligible recipient described 
in section 3(3)(F); or 
(2) jointly submitted by multiple eligible recipi-
ents. 
(g) FUNDING.—After the date on which the Secretary 
enters into a cooperative agreement with the Foundation 
under subsection (c), the Foundation shall— 
(1)(A) for each fiscal year, receive amounts 
made available to carry out the grant program in an 
advance payment of the entire amount on October 1, 
or as soon as practicable thereafter, of that fiscal 
year, to remain available until expended; and 
(B) invest and reinvest those amounts for the 
benefit of the grant program; and 
(2) otherwise administer the grant program to 
support partnerships between the public and private 
sectors in accordance with this section. 
(h) REPORT.—Not less frequently than once every 2 
years, the Foundation shall submit to the Secretary, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Transportation, 
and Congress a report on projects funded under the grant 
program and the contribution of those projects to con-
servation successes. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
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