“A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve wildlife habitat connectivity and wildlife migration corridors, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section promotes wildlife habitat connectivity and native big game species (i.e., native large mammals such as wild deer, elk, pronghorn, wild sheep, and moose) migration corridors across multiple USDA conservation programs by (1) adding a definition of "native big game species" to the general definitions in 16 U.S.C. 3801(a); (2) expanding Regional Conservation Partnership Program critical conservation areas to include restoration and enhancement of such connectivity and corridors; (3) authorizing cost-share payments under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for planning, installation, management, and related costs on ecologically significant grassland enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), subject to prohibitions on duplicate payments from other federal programs (other than CRP) and without altering authorized emergency haying or grazing; (4) increasing the annual payment limitation for CRP rental payments to $125,000 (from $50,000); (5) expanding EQIP payment increases and eligible activities to address wildlife habitat conservation, restoration, connectivity, and migration corridors; (6) requiring incorporation of nonstructural livestock management methods (e.g., virtual fencing) into conservation practice standards, along with related resource mitigation measures and technical assistance; and (7) directing encouragement of such connectivity and corridors in administering conservation programs.
This section adds virtual fencing as a high-priority research and extension area under section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)), authorizing grants to (1) understand and address barriers to adoption of virtual fencing technology or (2) study its effects on natural and cultural resources (e.g., sensitive riparian areas and crucial winter range and stopover habitats for native big game species) or overall range health.