Wildlife Bridges Connect Habitats in Mass

Wildlife doesn’t stay in one place and when creatures migrate they are increasingly boxed in by highways, cities, developments and other human built obstacles. There is a solution that is catching on: wildlife bridges. Recently, towns near Thoreau’s beloved Walden Woods have proposed building a $2-3 million overpass that would give wildlife safe passage over Route 2 in Massachusetts.

The Christian Science Monitor has the scoop from Concord, MA, on the proposed project:

The passage, a rarity in the United States, will be covered with earth and planted with native trees and grasses, providing a scenic footbridge for humans by day and an animal-friendly wooded corridor by night.

You can read more on this project here or check out some similar ideas around the United States like over at Restore the Rockies where Colorado’s first vegetated wildlife overpasses, or wildlife bridge, is being proposed on I-70, just west of Vail Pass (pictured above). Or more on how wildlife corridors help people and animals at Earth Ministry. Or head on down to Florida to see other great examples at Florida Habitat.

Why are these projects important? CS Monitor gave a great summary in A Wildlife Bridge that Thoreau would love: By recreating or protecting links between disparate habitats, wildlife corridors provide animals with access to food and mates that might otherwise be obstructed by roads, housing, or other human developments. This increased interconnectivity helps preserve biodiversity and boosts the sustainability of ecological communities by repairing fragmented “islands” of undeveloped land.