Aug 5, 2026 · 2 min · 3 segments
New research shows a small change in where homes are built could make a big difference for wildlife like elk, mule deer and pronghorn.
Large grazing animals like elk, mule deer, and pronghorn need big spaces, so residential development on open rangeland can have a huge effect on them.
Researchers at the University of Wyoming recently figured out a way to minimize the effects of development.
They measured the shortest distance between adjacent houses and any associated structures, then paired these widths with observed movements of mule deer, elk, and pronghorn.
When houses are built too close together, animals cease to pass through the remaining gaps.
The narrow spaces between buildings act like natural topographic barriers, forming bottlenecks which animals avoid.
This indirect habitat loss is much greater than that from building footprints.
The specific distance which triggers avoidance depends on species and habitat type.
Some animals avoid gaps between houses up to two miles wide, while others may move through a corridor as little as a quarter of a mile wide.
Researchers have made a publicly accessible width calculator to help users plan housing developments in ways that maximize space for large grazers to move.
You can find the tool online at wildlifemovetools.org. For example, placing houses strategically within each parcel instead of building each house in the middle of its parcel can increase the critical width metric from a quarter of a mile to nearly two-thirds of a mile.
That allows many animals to continue to pass between houses, reach adjacent large tracts of undeveloped habitat, and continue their natural seasonal migration and habitat use patterns.
Large grazing animals like elk, mule deer, and pronghorn need big spaces, so residential development on open rangeland can have a huge effect on them.
Researchers at the University of Wyoming recently figured out a way to minimize the effects of development.
They measured the shortest distance between adjacent houses and any associated structures, then paired these widths with observed movements of mule deer, elk, and pronghorn.
When houses are built too close together, animals cease to pass through the remaining gaps.
The narrow spaces between buildings act like natural topographic barriers, forming bottlenecks which animals avoid.
This indirect habitat loss is much greater than that from building footprints.
The specific distance which triggers avoidance depends on species and habitat type.
Some animals avoid gaps between houses up to two miles wide, while others may move through a corridor as little as a quarter of a mile wide.
Researchers have made a publicly accessible width calculator to help users plan housing developments in ways that maximize space for large grazers to move.
You can find the tool online at wildlifemovetools.org. For example, placing houses strategically within each parcel instead of building each house in the middle of its parcel can increase the critical width metric from a quarter of a mile to nearly two-thirds of a mile.
That allows many animals to continue to pass between houses, reach adjacent large tracts of undeveloped habitat, and continue their natural seasonal migration and habitat use patterns.
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