The U.S. Highway 2 corridor seems like a small intrusion to the ecosystems of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness yet it poses a major separation of two of the largest wilderness areas in the country.
The highway is slowly becoming a barrier to north-south wildlife movement in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. Engineering for highway reconstruction will likely begin within the next five years, so it’s imperative that planning begin now to ensure connectivity across this fracture. Research on wildlife species of highest concern, prioritization of appropriate action by multiple stakeholders, and implementation of potential approaches like land conservation and retirement of leases can all require multiple years.
This project will fund a series of workshops to forge a research framework that can answer connectivity questions in a coordinated, collaborative and efficient manner. We expect this to benefit multiple agencies and organizations by beginning work toward a cohesive plan that addresses an inter-jurisdictional challenge.
