Sponsors (9)
Official title: To establish the Wildlife Movement and Movement Area Grant Program and the State and Tribal Migration Research Program, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 23, 2025 by Ryan Zinke · Last progress January 23, 2025
The bill expands federal funding, technical assistance, mapping, and coordination to protect wildlife movement corridors—benefiting States, Tribes, rural communities, and biodiversity—while constraining some federal leverage over land‑use changes, increasing taxpayer obligations and administrative burdens, and creating tradeoffs in funding focus and privacy for landowners.
State and Tribal wildlife agencies, tribes, private landowners, and rural communities gain federal funding, technical assistance, mapping, and grants to identify, plan, and protect wildlife movement corridors—improving habitat connectivity, biodiversity, and reducing vehicle–wildlife collisions.
Hunters, wildlife watchers, the public, and officials get better coordinated data, regular USGS/agency reports, and clearer mapping tools that increase transparency and help reduce duplication in conservation planning.
Farmers, ranchers, and State and Tribal wildlife authorities keep existing control over production practices and wildlife management on their lands because the bill prevents federal preemption or forcing operational changes tied to these funds.
Federal agencies’ ability to condition funding on changing land use or production practices is limited, reducing a key tool for achieving landscape‑level conservation and potentially hindering species recovery in some areas.
The bill authorizes open‑ended spending ('such sums as are necessary') for multiple programs through FY2026–2031, increasing federal budgetary obligations and potential costs to taxpayers.
Expanded interagency coordination, new reporting requirements, and a new DOI SES/staff position create administrative complexity and additional burdens for State, Tribal, and NGO partners that could slow project delivery and raise overhead.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Creates grant and research programs, mapping support, and an interagency coordinator to identify and conserve wildlife movement areas and improve habitat connectivity, with funds administered through NFWF and USFWS.
Provides federal grants, technical help, mapping, and coordination to identify, conserve, and improve habitat connectivity and movement areas used by big game and other native wildlife. Creates a nonregulatory competitive grant program administered through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a State and Tribal research grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, continued USGS corridor-mapping support, and a senior coordinator in the Office of the Secretary to align federal, State, Tribal, and non‑government partners. Protects certain landowner, State, and Tribal authorities by prohibiting use of funds to force involuntary changes to agricultural, forestry, energy, mining, or water rights and includes multiple savings clauses. Authorizes funding through FY2026–FY2031 (as "such sums as are necessary") with at least half of certain funds reserved for projects directly conserving big‑game movement areas, establishes cost‑share rules, and prioritizes assistance to Tribes, historically disadvantaged communities, and persistent poverty areas for waivers.