On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA August-September 2016 | Page 13

of the ranch in conservation easement in 2012 , including natural corridors that she protects . The 1,530-acre cattle ranch , which has been in the Chrisman family for more than 100 years , provides valuable habitat for mule deer , bald eagles , sage grouse , and other wildlife .
Chrisman said , “ There ’ s always been wildlife here . Conservation easement means it can ’ t be subdivided and the wildlife would have a home .”
MANAGING CHANGE
In other areas , particularly those with highways and development , different strategies help protect corridors , wildlife , and humans . “ Here in Arizona , we ’ ve done some very innovative work with elk-crossing structures ,” said conservation biologist Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff . “ With these new structures in place , and associated fencing along the highway , we ’ ve actually greatly increased successful elk movement across these highways , and decreased mortality of elk , damaged vehicles and human life .”
Borderlands Restoration in Patagonia , Arizona is creating a corridor in a failed , 1,400-acre housing development 2 miles outside the small town near the Mexican border . “ It ’ s one of the most important wildlife corridors in the Southwest ,” said Executive Director David Seibert , who notes that ocelots and six other indigenous wild cats move through the area . “ There were a few houses built and the site has a few basic roads and a little underground water and power , but no one scraped the ground so it ’ s relatively intact .”
A nearby nursery is readying 1,000 native plants that will be added to the corridor , including several species of milkweed ( Asclepias spp .), musk flower ( Mimulus moschatus ), Canyon grape ( Vitis arizonica ) and Palmer ’ s century plant ( Agave palmeri ).
The benefits of these corridors are more than simply to offer sanctuary to the beleaguered wildlife . While they can complicate matters for humans , they also provide critical services for us all . They help with air quality ; carbon sequestration ; sediment trapping ; wind mitigation , which helps preserve critical topsoil ; and runoff filtration , which prevents fertilizers and pesticides that wreak havoc on aquatic life ( part of the human food chain ) from reaching streams and rivers . There is also an ineffable emotional benefit .
“ It ’ s one of my greatest pleasures , having all this variety here ,” said Barbara Starkey . “ Life here would be a lot less rich without all the other things that live here with us .”
SOURCES FOR MORE INFO : Open Space Conservation Ranching advocates lack a rural vision Natural Resources Conservation Service : Florida Wildlife Corridor Florida Conservation Voters
Conserving Migratory Pollinators and Nectar Corridors in Western North America ( Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Studies in Natural History ) by Gary Paul Nabhan . University of Arizona Press .
Corridor Ecology : The Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation , 2nd Edition by Jodi A . Hilty , William Z . Lidicker Jr . and Adina Merenlender . Island Press
Linkages in the Landscape : The Role Of Corridors And Connectivity In Wildlife Conservation by Andrew F . Bennett . World Conservation Union
GWA member Nancy Taylor Robson lives on the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland , where wildlife both enhances and challenges gardening , as well as other aspects of life .
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