killed in a legal hunt south of Kootenay National Park in December 1995. The scientific research Pluie's movements showed wildlife needed larger areas than biologists thought and pointed to a need to connect large sections of habitat along the spine of the Rocky Mountains as the best method to ensure there would be wildlife and wild spaces thriving into the future. Other animals such as lynx, cougars, golden eagles and bull trout have also been recorded traveling distances of more than 1,000 mi (1,600 km). These movements inspired people to reconsider the scale nature needs to thrive and also launched the formative idea behind Y2Y. The Yellowstone-to-Yukon region is one of the most ambitious corridor projects on the North American continent. Since 1993 Yellowstone to Yukon's conservationists have supported wildlife crossings over and under highways, helped track wolverines and purchased more than 500,000 acres of land to preserve wildlife routes. Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative's mission and model has inspired other similar collaborations including: Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative to connect lands and people from Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada to the Adirondacks in New York State Great Eastern Ranges Initiative in Australia to connect reserves along 2,235 mi (3,600 km) of the Great Eastern Ranges Two Countries-One Forest to connect the Northern Appalachian-Acadian ecoregions of Canada and U.S. Baja to Bering Marine Initiative between Baja, California and Bering Sea off the Pacific Coast of North America Priorities Working successfully over such a large transboundary landscape with a diversity of challenges and opportunities, Y2Y's mission demands a multi-pronged approach and engages on projects within the following eight themes: Private lands: works with willing property owners to secure land and maintain key connections for wildlife. Protected areas and public lands: identifies core habitat under risk of development and finds ways to protect it. Policy: Y2Y is a voice for the Yellowstone to Yukon region in advancing policies and practices that support the Yellowstone to Yukon vision. Transportation: helps make roads safer for both human travel and wildlife movement. Co-existence: supports education programs and tools that assist people to share space with wildlife. Appropriate development: assesses whether development is consistent with its vision and speaks out when it brings more damage than benefit. Habitat restoration: heals damaged forests and streams to increase the habitat available for wildlife. Promoting the vision: spreads its vision for a connected Yellowstone-to-Yukon landscape via its ever-growing networks.