Not far from the skyscrapers of downtown Pittsburgh, a successful effort to reconnect fragmented wildlife habitat flows through the city’s suburbs. Behind houses, roads and parking lots flow the waters of Little Sewickley Creek.

The creek has always provided opportunities for walking, fishing and bird watching, but in the past decade, visitors to the Little Sewickley watershed have experienced something not seen in over 80 years: dozens of native fish species moving freely up and down the stream.

Dramatic recovery

Wildlife must have access to the habitat they need to roam, migrate and mate, and without it animal populations are more vulnerable to disease and natural disasters and more likely to go locally extinct.

But the continually growing number of roads, energy projects, and suburban sprawl reduce and often eliminate that access. We need to create more wildlife corridors like the one created by removing the dam on Little Sewickley Creek.

The creek flows into the Ohio River, one of the United States’ largest waterways. But in 1928, the creek was cut off from the larger watershed by the Woodland Dam. Built to provide water to a nearby estate, the dam prevented fish from swimming upstream.

A favorite fishing spot in the area, its effect on the diversity of the fish above the dam was dramatic. Only seven species of fish were found above the dam, versus 29 found downstream of the barrier in the portion of the creek that connected to the Ohio River.

After a coalition of groups worked to remove the dam, nine additional fish species had returned to the upper part of the creek the following year. In the decade since, the ecosystem — now populated with spotted bass, bluegills, rainbow and green sided darters — has continued to rebound. The biodiversity of the ecosystem two miles upstream from the old dam has turned from “poor” to “exceptional.”

In Fayette County, 10 miles east of Connellsville, dead turtles and amphibians used to be a regular sight on State Route 381 where it crossed the Indian Creek Reservoir. This was in the heart of a Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Area that is home to rare plants and threatened native turtle species and frogs and salamanders that are on the decline in Pennsylvania.

While upgrading the road in 2014, PennDOT installed a series of tunnels known as culverts, allowing wildlife to pass underneath from one side of the wetland to the other. It also included fencing, to direct the animals towards the culverts. Since then, far less roadkill has been seen at the site.

Balancing needs

Wildlife conservation — including the creation of more wildlife corridors — isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a common sense response to developments like the growth of the suburbs and a way of balancing different needs, like the need for housing and the need to preserve wildlife.

Here in Pennsylvania, protecting wildlife habitat is part of protecting our way of life. Our outdoor traditions — hunting, fishing, hiking, and farming — all rely on healthy land, clean water, and thriving wildlife.

These projects aren’t just good for the environment — they make our roads safer by reducing animal-vehicle collisions and save taxpayer dollars by preventing costly accidents. Most importantly, they’re local, practical solutions that respect property rights, support our outdoor economy, and preserve what makes Pennsylvania such a special place to live, work, and raise a family.

As a new report from the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center shows, from underpasses beneath I-99 used by bears and bobcats to linking forests used by rare songbirds, projects like these are proven methods to address habitat fragmentation, save our wildlife and strengthen the surrounding ecosystem. But more must be done to reconnect habitat across the state in order to protect Pennsylvania’s species.

What needs to be done

State agencies should develop a working group to create a statewide plan and priorities for wildlife corridors. Without a statewide plan, none of these projects will be as effective as they should be in protecting our wildlife.

At the same time, the state legislature should make it easier for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to protect land for conservation and for hunting; create better tracking for animal-vehicle collisions (so we know the hot spots for animal deaths from road crossings); and ensure our cornerstone conservation programs like Growing Greener and the Keystone Fund are adequately funded.

Wildlife corridors protect our native species and their habitat, with all the benefits that brings to us. We don’t have to look much further than our own backyard — Pittsburgh’s suburbs can be a model for all of Pennsylvania.

Stephanie Wein is the Conservation Advocate at the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. State Representative Jason Ortitay represents parts of Allegheny and Washington Counties.

First Published: May 1, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
Updated: May 2, 2025, 2:06 a.m.