Wildlife Crossings in the U.S.

Photo Credit: Djembayz [CC0] Animals’ Bridge on Route 93 near Evaro, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Wildlife crossings gaining momentum in the United States

And yes, wildlife crossings work! You can see examples of wildlife crossing successes throughout the United States in places like Gainesville, Florida, where the Florida Department of Transportation built eight wildlife culverts for alligators, salamanders and frogs to safely pass under busy roads, essentially decreasing mortality rates by an astounding 93.5%.

In Wyoming the Pronghorn antelope has been giving safe passage along a 6,000-year-old migration path known as the Path of the Pronghorn. The animals travel in and out of Grand Teton National Park and at one particular area have to cross a busy highway which was putting animals and drivers at tremendous risk. The Wyoming Department of Transportation saw the importance of investing in fencing, overpasses and underpasses, which are expected to reduce WVCs (wildlife vehicle collisions) by 80% and the pay for themselves within 12 years.

And let’s not forget about the #SaveLACougars Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon to give cougars safe passage over LA freeways. Already facing extinction, 17 of these California mountain lions have already been killed on the highway since the initiative began. Time is of the essence, but major fundraising efforts are underway to support the building of what could be the largest wildlife crossing in the world and the first of its kind in California. The mountain lion crossing would reconnect the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem for all wildlife.

In Amherst, Massachusetts, spotted salamanders were getting squashed on the road during their annual mating voyage so a collaborative that included a German drainage company, a British preservation organization, local public works company, and conservation groups, built tiny crossing structures—salamander underpasses that safely guide them to ponds on the other side where they can lay their eggs.