Surviving the Cold: How Winter Habitats Sustain Wildlife

Winter is a brutal time of year in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The sun rises late and sets early, temperatures stay well below freezing for weeks on end, and the snow can pile up foot on top of foot. For the ecosystem’s many ungulates, including pronghorn, elk, deer, and moose, winter is the hardest season to survive. For the best chance of enduring the cold and snow, ungulates migrate with the seasons, seeking milder winter habitat that provides a respite from winter’s intensity and a better chance of finding food. 

A herd or an individual’s chance of surviving winter is dependent on accessing winter wildlife habitat. However, many of the ancient migration corridors that lead to winter range are now bisected by roads, fences, and other infrastructure, making it more difficult for ungulates and other animals to reach these landscapes and the resources they provide. Fortunately, there’s a lot of work being done to keep migration paths open and preserve winter habitat for wildlife.

In this episode, we sit down with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Senior Idaho Conservation Associate Allison Michalski. Idaho is rich with prime winter wildlife habitat, which tends to be lower elevation and hold better opportunities to find forage. Allison leads many of GYC’s efforts in Idaho, including securing protections for winter range, advocating for travel management policies that include seasonal closures for winter habitat, and promoting habitat connectivity along Idaho’s Highway 20 and Highway 33.

Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.

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