mortality hotspots<\/a> for amphibians and reptiles.<\/p>\nMore than deer<\/p>\n
For many Pennsylvanians, the phrase \u201cwildlife crossing\u201d immediately brings deer to mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re talking about wildlife connectivity, we\u2019re talking about large animals, we\u2019re talking about small animals, we\u2019re talking about aquatic species, we\u2019re talking about migratory species which includes birds, we\u2019re talking about bats,\u201d said Nicole Faraguna, director of policy and planning for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.<\/p>\n
The need for connected habitat doesn\u2019t stop at Pennsylvania\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania sits along the Atlantic Flyway, one of North America\u2019s major migration routes. Every year, billions of birds travel between Canada, New England, the American South and the Gulf Coast, relying on connected habitats to rest and refuel along the way.<\/p>\n
Wein compared those habitat patches to highway rest stops.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like you and me driving on the turnpike, we need rest stops, and they need rest stops,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When development and fragmentation leave too much distance between suitable habitats, it becomes harder for those species to complete their journeys.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife management supervisor Kate Hasapes said the focus on deer can obscure the broader purpose of wildlife corridors.<\/p>\n
Roadkill can also endanger other species. Hasapes noted that carcasses along roads often attract vultures, eagles and other scavengers, putting them at risk of vehicle strikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything\u2019s not just about the deer,\u201d Hasapes emphasized.<\/p>\n
Amphibians provide one of the clearest examples.<\/p>\n
Wein said many amphibians spend much of the year on forest floors before migrating to breeding pools during the first warm nights of spring. Because they move slowly, even lightly traveled roads can become deadly barriers.<\/p>\n
She noted that even a few vehicles per hour on a rural road can drive amphibian mortality rates as high as 80% during migration events. For species such as spotted salamanders, which can live for decades, those losses can have lasting consequences for local populations.<\/p>\n
Connectivity projects can take many forms, Faraguna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it\u2019s not a big giant crossing that\u2019s needed. Maybe it\u2019s just small underpasses that allow smaller species to get through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Properly designed culverts and tunnels can let amphibians and other wildlife move beneath roads rather than attempt dangerous crossings at the surface.<\/p>\n
Corridors vs. crossings<\/p>\n
The terms \u201cwildlife corridor\u201d and \u201cwildlife crossing\u201d are often used interchangeably, but officials say they refer to different pieces of the same framework.<\/p>\n
Crossings are the structures that help wildlife move safely past barriers, including tunnels, underpasses, culverts and bridges.<\/p>\n
Corridors are the connected habitats animals use to travel, feed, breed and migrate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we talk about crossings, it\u2019s really the infrastructure,\u201d Faraguna said. \u201cBut the corridors are that conservation piece that allows the animals to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s already working<\/p>\n
While Pennsylvania\u2019s statewide wildlife connectivity plan is still taking shape, wildlife crossings already operate in parts of the commonwealth.<\/p>\n
PennDOT\u2019s wildlife crossing map identifies 33 existing crossings designed to help animals move safely through fragmented habitat.<\/p>\n
One of the state\u2019s most prominent examples is along Interstate 99 near State College, where five wildlife underpasses were incorporated into the highway\u2019s construction. The crossings were designed with native vegetation and natural soil bottoms that let animals move beneath the roadway rather than crossing traffic.<\/p>\n
According to PennEnvironment\u2019s 2025 habitat connectivity report, wildlife mortality at the five crossing sites fell from an average of nine animal deaths per location in 2009 to roughly one after the underpasses were completed. Camera monitoring and track surveys later documented a variety of wildlife using the crossings, including bears, deer, raccoons, woodchucks, geese and great blue herons.<\/p>\n
Other projects across Pennsylvania have been tailored to different species and landscapes. In Blair County, the Pinecroft Curves wildlife tunnel was designed to help amphibians and reptiles move between wetlands. In Luzerne County, a large-mammal underpass beneath State Route 3046 accommodates wildlife movement beneath the roadway, while Bucks County features multiple crossings along Route 202.<\/p>\n
Why planning comes first<\/p>\n
Some residents may wonder why the $840,000 federal grant is funding planning rather than construction.<\/p>\n
The grant supports collecting and analyzing collision data, habitat information, land-use trends and other mapping layers to identify priority areas across Pennsylvania. While PennDOT currently evaluates wildlife crossing opportunities on a project-by-project basis, officials say the statewide plan will help identify priority corridors to incorporate into future transportation planning.<\/p>\n
Faraguna noted that while $840,000 may sound substantial, planning efforts in other states have exceeded $1 million for what she described as a highly scientific, data-driven process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout a good, solid plan based on science, good data and good mapping, we don\u2019t know where to invest in that infrastructure,\u201d Faraguna said.<\/p>\n
Wein echoed the same sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the right hand knows what the left hand is doing, we can do things more efficiently, intentionally and effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to be pennywise and pound foolish,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
How Pennsylvania got here<\/p>\n
The initiative traces its roots to House Resolution 87, which the Pennsylvania House approved in 2023. A subsequent Legislative Budget and Finance Committee study recommended a statewide connectivity strategy and pursuing federal wildlife-crossing funding.<\/p>\n
Wein said that groundwork helped position Pennsylvania as a strong candidate for federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all states that applied got funding,\u201d she said. \u201cHouse Resolution 87 passing made us a strong candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bridging the gap<\/p>\n
A road may look inconsequential on a map.<\/p>\n
For wildlife, it can determine whether a journey ends on the other side or at the roadside.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania\u2019s first connectivity plan aims to identify where those risks are greatest and where investments could make the biggest difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u200bDriving through Schuylkill County, the signs are hard to ignore. A dead raccoon along Route 61. A turtle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[349,1131,201,803,139,28,30,29,231],"class_list":["post-323509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-berks-county","tag-environment","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-luzerne-county","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-schuylkill-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}