Wildlife Corridors and USDA Conservation Programs Act of 2025
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 13, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Wildlife Corridors and USDA Conservation Programs Act of 2025 creates a new federal program to identify and designate wildlife corridors—areas of connected habitat that allow animals to move freely and species to adapt to environmental changes. The Department of Agriculture, working with the U.S. Geological Survey and Fish and Wildlife Service, must identify these habitat connectivity areas within one year of the bill's passage and develop maps and reports for Congress. Within three years, the Secretary of Agriculture will designate qualified areas as "American wildlife corridors" based on criteria established through federal regulations. The bill affects farmers and landowners in designated corridors, offering them technical assistance, priority enrollment in existing USDA conservation programs, and the option to modify or terminate existing conservation contracts in favor of easements or forest conservation programs. While the legislation does not specify new funding amounts, it leverages existing USDA conservation programs to support long-term habitat maintenance through voluntary participation and cooperative agreements with federal, state, local, and nonprofit partners.
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