Wildlife crossings work! Take a look for yourself.
When the Wyoming Department of Transportation noticed a spike in vehicle collisions with mule deer and pronghorn each spring and fall in the Pinedale region, they teamed up with Wyoming Game and Fish and local nonprofits to build a series of wildlife crossings. Since their construction, collisions have dropped by roughly 90%.
Success stories like this one are popping up in other states like Utah, Montana, and Florida, and are leading to broad public support for wildlife crossings across the country.
Wildlife crossings benefit both the wildlife and the human communities where they are built. For people, they significantly reduce collisions between vehicles and large animals, which cause more than 26,000 human injuries, 200 human deaths, and cost $8 billion per year for things like vehicle repair, medical expenses, towing and carcass removal.
For the animals, crossings are a major help in bridging habitats and helping wildlife movement as development continues to erode habitats and fragment wildlife populations. Looming large is another threat: climate change. As certain species move in search of cooler, moister conditions, they will have to contend with busy roadways.
If you’re interested in learning about the state of wildlife crossings in Teton County, check out the recording of our Wildlife Crossings Series.
