Wildlands Network

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Wildlands Network Since 1991, Wildlands Network has been committed to reconnecting, restoring and rewilding North America for the benefit of all species.

Our work is founded in science, driven by fieldwork and furthered through strategic policy and partnerships.

10/13/2026

New roads and barriers in the Jacumba Wilderness are threatening the survival of endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep.

Bighorn depend on resources on either side of the US-Mexico border, spending time at their main water source in Mexico and going north into the US to give birth to their young.

Work to complete the border wall means that bighorn migrating north this fall could encounter razor wire, construction zones, and a walled-off border. In desperation, they may attempt to cross by whatever means possible, and could face injury and death.

We’re working with Fundación UABC, A.C. monitor bighorn in Mexico as they navigate this unprecedented loss of migration.

📹 Additional Clips from Santuario Cimarrón

Sometimes, to study wildlife, we need a little help from some furry friends.Siska and Merlin are detection dogs with Rog...
10/08/2026

Sometimes, to study wildlife, we need a little help from some furry friends.

Siska and Merlin are detection dogs with Rogue Detection Teams assigned to sniff out bighorn and mountain lion s**t.

When analyzed in the lab, s**t provides rich information on animal movement. With Siska and Merlin’s help, we’re gathering info on the movement of bighorn and mountain lion before two wildlife crossings are built to contrast with conditions afterward.

As part of a partnership with Mojave Desert Land Trust, this research will be used to track how wildlife reconnect and move freely once again across SR 62 after the construction of two new crossings, a method shown to reduce wildlife collisions with vehicles by 96%.

Follow along as we share our discoveries from this work. Read the full story at the link below.

📸 Forktailed Media

10/07/2026

Vehicle collisions with wildlife aren’t the only toll exacted by roadways.

Some species of wildlife are wary of roads and will avoid crossing them. Animals limited to pockets of their natural range may suffer inbreeding, which can lead to weakened immune systems and genetic defects that affect the whole population’s survival.

Wildlife crossings address both issues at once, preventing collisions and allowing the spreading and mixing of wildlife, giving them full access to their range and allowing them to parent healthy future generations.

We’re studying State Route 62 in California to look for signs of wildlife highway avoidance and limited gene flow. We’ll use this data to track when the crossings get wildlife moving again.

📹 Additional Clips from Mojave Desert Land Trust

10/05/2026

Wildlife s**t provides a treasure trove of data on where animals go and how connected they are. We just have to find it.

Starting this fall, we'll use s**t to build a baseline on bighorn, bobcats, and other wildlife along California’s State Route 62. The state selected this road for two crossings to boost connectivity between nearby protected areas, including Joshua Tree National Park and Sand to Snow National Monument.

The s**t gathered helps us understand how wildlife use this landscape now, providing something for comparison once crossings are built. A means to document the baseline shifting towards a brighter, more connected future.

We’re kicking off this effort this fall and will continue to collect data that describes the baseline over the next two years – follow along as we trek from sand to snow in search of s**t.

📹 Additional Clips from Mojave Desert Land Trust / Rogue Detection Teams & Forktailed Media

10/01/2026

The mountain lions and bighorn sheep of Joshua Tree and the surrounding Morongo and Coachella valleys have something in common: they’re both elusive and difficult to spot.

They also both need to roam widely to survive. They likely cross paths with State Route 62, which cuts straight through their ranges, posing a barrier to accessing more of their range safely.

We’re partnering with the Mojave Desert Land Trust to study wildlife movement near State Route 62, gathering a baseline of data so we can help design crossings — and know whether they get wildlife moving again.

Heading to WCN Expo? So are we.If you're mapping corridors, tracking wildlife movement, or working on landscape-scale po...
09/30/2026

Heading to WCN Expo? So are we.

If you're mapping corridors, tracking wildlife movement, or working on landscape-scale policy, we want to compare notes.

In 35 years, we've been part of 76 wildlife conservation and mapping projects advancing the science of rewilding across North America, and helped secure more than $898 million in public funding for that work. None of it happens without partners doing the same in their own landscapes.
We're especially grateful to the Wildlife Conservation Network for supporting our work across California and helping advance wildlife connectivity solutions throughout the state.

If you're doing corridor science, policy work, or landscape-scale conservation anywhere in North America, we hope to see you there!

📸 Pathways for Wildlife / Wildlands Network

Yesterday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1250 into law.The law requires that decision-makers consider wildlife ...
09/30/2026

Yesterday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1250 into law.

The law requires that decision-makers consider wildlife needs, like crossings and fencing, early in roadway planning.

“SB 1250 recognizes that crossings are an essential part of transportation planning, not an afterthought,” said Mari Galloway, Wildlands Network California Program Director.

For example, the law requires leaders to use data to identify barriers to wildlife, reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, and plan for crossings in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

By bringing wildlife connectivity into state planning processes, the law helps support healthy ecosystems and saves lives on both sides of the windshield.

Read the full story on our blog at the link below.

📸 Pathways for Wildlife / Wildlands Network

09/29/2026

Castle Peak and other roadless areas are a lifeline for wildlife. And there’s a week left to join us in speaking up for it.

The Roadless Rule has kept places like this free of new roads and major logging since 2001. That protection is what lets elk move freely instead of disappearing when roads go in, what keeps streams cold and clear enough to hold trout, and what keeps bears foraging naturally instead of raiding trash and ending up in conflict with people.

Roadless areas like this one are the kind of large, connected wild land California's wildlife needs to survive a changing climate: room to move, find food, and find each other.

The administration wants to eliminate the Roadless Rule. We've defended it before. This time, it needs more than just our voice.

Add yours by October 6th to meet the extended deadline. Link below to submit a comment and help keep America’s last wild places wild.

Imagine being the size of a nickel and trying to cross a road. Every lane is a long walk on very short legs. Every car i...
09/25/2026

Imagine being the size of a nickel and trying to cross a road. Every lane is a long walk on very short legs. Every car is bigger than anything you've ever seen, and none of the drivers can see you.

That's life for a hatchling Eastern musk turtle, and for many other small reptiles and amphibians living near roadways.

Musk turtles, also known as stinkpots, rarely leave the water, so people don't expect to see them on land. But researchers have found them on roads hundreds of feet from the nearest water. That's a long walk for a tiny turtle that could sit in your hand (adults are only 2-5" long).

This little guy was lucky enough to be spotted in a driveway and moved to safety. One person paying attention can make the difference that helps an animal reach its destination.

Turtle, snake, and frog season is slowly winding down, but the roads aren't quiet yet, and in many places, fall and winter breeding salamanders are just getting going. Please keep an eye out, and if it's safe to help an animal across, move it in the direction it was already heading.

📸 Ron Sutherland

A mother bear and her cubs crossing Milltail Road in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. For black bears here this...
09/04/2026

A mother bear and her cubs crossing Milltail Road in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. For black bears here this is a daily reality, and not every crossing of local highways ends safely.

Our field team surveys U.S. 64 every weekday, a highway that cuts directly through the refuge, documenting wildlife-vehicle collisions and removing roadkill to reduce the risk to scavengers.

Over 22 months, they've recorded 7,214 animals representing 155 species. Wildlife crossings can't come soon enough.



📸 Ron Sutherland

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P. O. Box 243
Salt Lake City, UT
84110

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+12065385363

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