SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Friday that he's taking steps to improve habitat and migration corridors in Western states for big-game animals such as elk, mule and deer, a move that critics called an effort to cover up damage.

Zinke announced an order that calls on his agency to work closer with states and private landowners. Hunting groups joined him at a hunting and conservation expo in Salt Lake City and applauded the move as adding important protections for animals such as deer and elk.

The Interior Department will study migration habits and devise ways to i...