Boone and Crockett Club Appreciates Department of the Interior Commitment to Western Big Game Conservation, Calls for Continued Funding for Research and Habitat Projects

MISSOULA, Mont.  – The Boone and Crockett Club thanks Secretary Deb Haaland for announcing today that the Department of the Interior will be continuing to implement Secretarial Order 3362 (SO 3362) on improving western big game migration corridors and seasonal range. The Order has led to significant investment in migration research and habitat conservation over the past four years. 

“Through SO 3362, the Department of the Interior has worked closely with state fish and wildlife agencies, tribes, and non-profit partners to implement effective collaborative landscape conservation in the West,” said James F. Arnold, president of the Boone and Crockett Club. “We appreciate that this Administration remains committed to SO 3362 and hope that they continue to allocate significant funding in the next fiscal year through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and for additional migration research to ensure that we maintain the momentum that has built over the last four years.”

The Difference Makers on Conservation Policy

Included in the announcement was the release of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States: Volume 2. These improved maps of habitat use by big game species shows where funding for habitat conservation or restoration will improve seasonal habitats used by these animals during their migration. Working under direction through SO 3362, the USGS and state agencies developed a Corridor Mapping Team that translated new collaring data (much of it funded through SO 3362) into maps that help to identify priority areas for conservation and restoration projects. The new maps clearly show the migration corridors and seasonal habitats used by priority herds and help to identify barriers to movement (including fences, roads, or development) and important seasonal ranges where habitat restoration can improve forage needs. States and their partners could then apply for funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migrations Corridors Fund. Today’s release also announced this year’s funding of $2.5 million that will be matched by $7 million in partner funds for 13 projects in these priority areas.

“The Boone and Crockett Club has been actively involved in the policy development, research, and on the ground conservation actions through SO 3362,” Arnold concluded. “This effort fits well within the America the Beautiful initiative, and we will continue to work with the Administration and Congress to ensure that this incredibly successful effort receives targeted funding.”

An article in the winter issue of Fair Chase magazine outlines the Club’s involvement in SO 3362 in greater detail as well as how implementation has resulted in such successful conservation work throughout the West.