Committee hears testimony on bill to fund wildlife corridors and reduce vehicle–wildlife collisions
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Summary
The House Transportation Committee heard briefing and extensive public testimony on ESSB 5203, which directs WSDOT and WDFW to develop an integrated habitat connectivity strategy, creates two treasury accounts for corridors and crossings, and requires reporting; supporters cited safety and federal-match opportunities while some landowners warned of poor local engagement.
The House Transportation Committee on Feb. 18 heard a staff briefing and more than two hours of public testimony on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5203, a proposal to coordinate highway and wildlife planning and create state accounts to fund wildlife corridors and crossings.
David Meneke, staff to the committee, told members ESSB 5203 would require the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop and periodically update an integrated wildlife habitat connectivity strategy tied to the Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan. The bill would create two treasury accounts — a Washington wildlife corridors account for WDFW and a Washington wildlife crossings account for WSDOT — and requires agency reports to the legislature and governor by Dec. 1, 2026, and every even-numbered year thereafter. Meneke said most provisions would take effect 90 days after the end of the session.
Sponsor Sen. Sarah Solomon framed the measure as a public-safety and ecological initiative. "More animals, more hunting, and more safety is what this bill would bring you," Solomon said, citing her department’s estimate that collisions involving deer and elk contribute to roughly $74,000,000 in repair and injury costs annually. Solomon said the bill would help the state compete for federal matching funds and private donations, noting the federal Infrastructure Reinvestment Act contains grant programs for wildlife-crossing projects.
Supporters told the committee the bill translates existing data into prioritized projects. Dan Wilson, co‑chair of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Washington chapter, said the state already has mapped collision hot spots and that implementation would reduce costly retrofits and leverage federal and private funding. Morgan Carlson of WDFW said the Habitat Connectivity Action Plan identified priority locations and that the bill would improve the agencies’ ability to apply for grants and deliver projects.
Advocates and agency witnesses pointed to completed feasibility studies and active projects — including an interstate-scale study for I‑5 and a tribally led Highway 12 project nearing completion — as models for cost estimates and design.
Not all testimony was supportive. Mike Norden, manager of the Pacific Conservation District, and Pacific County Commissioner Lisa Olsen said local landowners and counties felt insufficiently engaged. Norden called some stakeholder gatherings a "yes club" and warned the plan could store costs into a period of budgetary shortfall; Olsen said her county had not been consulted.
Opponents also expressed ecological concerns. Norden asserted the effort would facilitate wolf movement into some Western Washington counties; he framed that as a reason for local resistance. The assertion was reported to the committee as testimony but not adjudicated during the hearing.
Several conservation groups and private‑land managers urged passage. Claudine Reynolds of Port Blakely said privately managed forests already provide corridors and that landscape‑scale planning can keep forests working while protecting connectivity.
Committee members asked how corridors would be prioritized and whether the bill contained safeguards to prevent over‑application on rural local roads. Sponsor Solomon and agency witnesses said the bill relies on the action plan’s data and on interagency consultation with tribes, federal agencies and local stakeholders; Solomon said she would work with members to add clarity or amendments on landowner engagement where needed.
A fiscal summary presented to the committee indicated WDFW would incur ongoing costs to coordinate and update the connectivity plan (staffing costs in testimony were estimated at roughly $61,000 per fiscal year), while WSDOT said existing staff could absorb coordination duties. The bill requires legislative appropriation for the newly created accounts.
The committee closed the public hearing on ESSB 5203 after hearing dozens of witnesses and moved on to other agenda items. The bill’s next procedural step will be determined by the committee’s scheduling and any follow‑up amendments requested by members.
