Habitat & Conservation  |  10/27/2021

Habitat in the Margins


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By Mike Retterer
 
Many of us are still commuting daily to work, school or play across a patchwork of cover types dotted across highly varied landscapes. One constant in our travels is the corridors we use and cross during those daily routines. In addition to their purpose of providing us travel routes between destinations, they can also provide important travel lanes to wildlife between larger blocks of habitat AND can potentially offer large scale habitat acres of wildlife and environmental benefits themselves. Collectively these linear strips of potential habitat that crisscross across the United States are known as Rights of Ways.
 
Rights of way are the strips (usually) of contiguous land used in utility distribution, energy production, and transportation. Collectively they include 2.75 million miles of transportation, 12 million acres of transmission corridors and facilities and more than 500,000 acres of solar opportunities. A few of these are being managed specifically for wildlife and other environmental benefits, some are providing marginal habitat benefits, but most are not providing quality habitat or environmental benefits.
 
Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever are working with state Departments of Transportation, electric / gas transmission companies and solar companies to improve the quality of habitat along these rights of way. Our team is designing seed mixes, providing recommendations for vegetation establishment and management, monitoring and assessing existing habitat value, evaluating internal policies and procedures for habitat delivery, and training contractors and staff on habitat development.
 
As a result, we are seeing a growing number of rights of way with more diversity and increased use of deep-rooted perennials which provide a myriad of conservation benefits, including, water quality (improved infiltration of storm water, additional nutrient uptake), soil protection, carbon capture and of course, improved wildlife habitat. This improved habitat is providing safe travel corridors for upland game, pollinators and other migrating wildlife, and linking isolated blocks of habitat.
 
So next time you are traveling across the landscape, pay attention to the rights of way you are traveling on and through. Consider their current and potential value as habitat and how important they are to wildlife moving between other blocks of habitat. Then think about how to make a difference on those acres and act.
 
For more information on Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s sustainable habitat program, check out “Episode 128: Habitat in the Margins” on Quail Forever’s On The Wing Podcast.
 
 
Purchase with a Purpose – all proceeds from the seed program support our mission of putting more habitat on the ground, youth in our fields and birds in the air. Thank you for being a valued cooperators and supporting our conservation mission.

Mike Retterer is PF and QF National Rights of Ways and Energy Coordinator