Migration

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in August 2022. An interview with Scott Weidensaul, author of A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds. The book is exhilarating exploration of the science and wonder of global bird migration.

Big game herds can travel hundreds of miles between their summer and winter ranges. That means they often cross neighborhoods, highways and fences – hazards that could increase as the Mountain West faces further development pressures.

It concentrates U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation funding in areas important for animals.

Concerns over inflation and overcrowding are rising in the Mountain West, according to a new poll from Colorado College. But policies that preserve land, water and recreational opportunities remain popular for most voters in the region.

An interview with Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World. The book investigates a coming environmental migration, the seismic consequence of our climate crisis that will force us to change where, and how, we live.

The Pew Charitable Trusts published a report calling on policy-makers and landowners to help animals migrate across the West. That report also highlights the latest science on animals like mule deer, elk and pronghorn.

This year’s strain of the bird flu is still killing birds in our region, from poultry to hawks. Officials hope the virus dies out later this summer, but until then, they urge bird owners to use good hygiene practices and to protect the birds from other wild species. To report sick or dead livestock, contact agriculture officials. To report sick or dead wild birds, contact your state wildlife officials.

As the West grows so does its infrastructure, but for elk, deer and other migrating big game, roads and housing developments are barriers. A new U.S. Geological Survey report details these migration routes to help ensure they persist.

New research is the first to use GPS-tracking data to look into the effects of wildfire smoke on bird migration. Its findings suggest that tagged geese changed their behavior to avoid smoky conditions.

The $350 million investment would reduce the number of expensive and deadly wildlife-vehicle collisions – an issue that's especially acute in more rural Western states.