The numbers tell a stark story. Wildlife populations across North America dropped 39 percent between 1970 and 2020. Mule deer herds in Idaho are shrinking. Similar declines in both game and non-game species are playing out in states from coast to coast. For anyone who spends time outdoors, the changes are impossible to ignore.
Now, 82 hunting and conservation groups have come together to push Congress toward action. Their target is the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act, a bipartisan bill that could reshape how America protects the corridors wildlife need to survive.
The Conservation Tradition
Hunting has deep roots in American culture. From the earliest Native Americans to present-day sportsmen, the practice has provided food and forged connections between people and the natural world. But the relationship between hunters and conservation goes beyond tradition.
For nearly a century, hunters have bankrolled wildlife habitat conservation through taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. In 2025 alone, these contributions brought nearly $1 billion to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Despite this massive investment, many species continue their downward slide.
Why Wildlife Needs Room to Move
The problem isn't complicated. Animals need space. Elk must migrate between seasonal ranges. Trout require connected waterways. Panthers need territories large enough to hunt and establish dens. Mule deer, pronghorn, and black bears all depend on the ability to move across landscapes to find food, mates, and suitable habitat.
Barriers along migration routes create chokepoints that can doom entire populations. Roads slice through historic pathways. Development fragments once-continuous habitat. Climate change shifts the timing and location of food sources, forcing animals to travel farther or adjust their routes entirely.
Without connected habitat, wildlife populations get squeezed into smaller and smaller pockets. Genetic diversity shrinks. Disease spreads more easily. Eventually, local populations blink out.
The Legislative Solution
Enter the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act. Republican Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana and Democratic Representative Don Beyer of Virginia introduced the legislation in 2025. The bill takes aim at the core challenges facing wildlife across the country.
The legislation would fund efforts to conserve, restore, and enhance habitat along migration routes. It would also support mapping of wildlife movements, giving managers better data about where animals actually travel. Increased coordination between state, federal, and tribal wildlife management agencies would help ensure different jurisdictions work together rather than at cross purposes.
Broad Support from the Field
Environment America began reaching out to hunting-related businesses and organizations last fall to test the waters on wildlife corridor legislation. The response exceeded expectations. Sportsman's clubs, rod and gun clubs, outfitters, guides, and gun shops all expressed support.
The final letter to Congress came from a coalition spanning the outdoors community. These weren't environmental activists or policy wonks. They were people who make their living from hunting and outdoor recreation, along with the clubs and organizations that represent them.
Their message was straightforward. They asked Congress to ensure the survival of species and preserve the heritage of the great outdoors for all Americans. Based on conversations with these groups, the support runs deep. Many hope their unified voice will push lawmakers to act.
A Rare Bipartisan Opportunity
In an era of fierce political division, conservation bills with sponsors from both parties are increasingly rare. The Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act represents the kind of commonsense legislation that should sail through Congress.
The bill doesn't pick winners and losers. It doesn't impose heavy-handed regulations or restrict access to public lands. Instead, it invests in understanding wildlife movement patterns and protecting the corridors animals have used for generations. Federal, state, and tribal agencies would receive technical assistance and funding to coordinate their efforts.
For sportsmen who have watched game populations decline despite their financial contributions to conservation, the bill offers a path forward. For anyone concerned about the long-term health of American ecosystems, it addresses a fundamental need.
The Stakes
Habitat loss continues to accelerate across the United States. Each year brings new development, new roads, and new barriers to wildlife movement. Species that were once abundant become uncommon. Hunts that drew sportsmen year after year produce fewer and fewer opportunities.
The Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act won't solve every conservation challenge. But it would provide tools and resources currently lacking. State wildlife agencies could map migration routes with better precision. Federal land managers could identify and protect critical corridor habitat. Tribal nations could bring traditional ecological knowledge to collaborative planning efforts.
Most importantly, the bill would acknowledge a basic truth: wildlife doesn't respect jurisdictional boundaries. A mule deer herd might spend summers on national forest land, migrate across a mix of private ranches and Bureau of Land Management property, and winter on state wildlife areas. Effective conservation requires coordination across all those boundaries.
Looking Forward
The 82 organizations that signed the letter to Congress represent thousands of individual hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Their support sends a clear message about priorities. They want healthy wildlife populations. They want their children and grandchildren to experience the same connection to the land they've enjoyed. They're willing to back legislative solutions that make those outcomes more likely.
Congress now has an opportunity to act on this bipartisan legislation. The bill has support from both sides of the aisle. It addresses a real and growing problem. The coalition backing it includes people who spend their lives in the field, not just in policy meetings.
Whether lawmakers will seize this opportunity remains to be seen. But the hunting and conservation community has made its position clear. They've shown up. They've signed their names. They've asked Congress to ensure the survival of species and the heritage of the great outdoors for all Americans.
The question is whether Congress will answer that call.
