Blog Series: Are Public Lands a Part of the Climate Solution or Climate Problem?

Re-Connecting Landscapes

In the third part of this series, Investing in Natural Spaces, we explored the effect that sustainably managed natural spaces have on mitigating heat and climate change.

Image Source: Mario Tama, Getty Images

In the year 2020, we find our landscapes to be more fragmented than ever before. The Colorado River, which once flowed to the Gulf of California, is being dammed, diverted, divided and sucked dry before ever reaching the sea. The river runs 1,450 miles long, starting at its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park, flowing through seven states, 11 National Parks and Monuments, and hundreds of miles of public lands. Scattered throughout the public lands the Colorado River travels through, are numerous oil wells and 3.25 million acres worth of land leased for oil and gas that have been sitting unused for far too long. The river flows south where it comes up to what was once a political border and what is now a physical wall that degrades ecosystems, wildlife habitat and deepens the unsubstantiated racist beliefs that people in the United States hold towards people migrating from the south.

The Colorado River should be something that connects all of us, but is instead a prime example of the ways in which we have historically mismanaged the land, which is to divide it up for public and private interests without giving thought to the consequences of land fragmentation and the disconnection of critical environmental systems. The re-connection of natural landscapes supports wildlife migration patterns, watershed health, the recreation-based economy that so many communities rely on, climate change relief, and so much more.

Image Source: Dave Showalter, daveshowalter.com

Source: connectedcorridors.com

One way in which we have the opportunity and momentum to reconnect the land is with restoring wildlife corridors. Not only are wildlife corridors a solution to the rapid decrease of biodiversity due to climate change, land fragmentation, and human development, but they also serve to preserve and even add to natural carbon-capturing landscapes that will be crucial in our fight against increased climate events. A coalition of stakeholders, including land managers, scientists, conservation groups, and community leaders from Colorado and New Mexico came together to create the Upper Rio Grande Wildlife Coalition to identify and advocate for wildlife corridor protection in the Upper Rio Grande Watershed, which covers the southern part of Colorado and northern part of New Mexico. The main threats to natural wildlife corridors are from oil and gas development, highways, fences, and other human-made development. These protected areas would assist Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, and many other species to find food, mate and migrate with the weather.

If included in the final, updated Land Management Plans, the Upper Rio Grande Wildlife Corridors would be implemented under the proposed Spruce Hole/Osier/Toltec Connectivity Special Interest area, Caja del Rio Management Area, Chama Basin Watershed Protection Area, San Antonio Management Area, and Valle Vidal Special Management Area. These areas would be critical in the further preservation of our natural spaces and wildlife that are near growing population centers facing serious threats from climate change. Santa Fe and Albuquerque have been experiencing increased heat, lower snow pack and consequently, less available water all while seeing an influx of people moving there. Wildlife corridors serve many purposes and should be considered as one of the many essential solutions to climate change. 

This blog is part of a series:
The Pressure is On
Making the Switch
Investing in Natural Spaces
Re-connecting Landscapes