While a hunter may enjoy the quiet solitude of a remote forest, a camper may value the satisfaction that comes with living simply—if only for a few days. And whereas an angler may recall the beauty of a sunrise over a misty lake, a backpacker may recall the first time they spied an iconic animal in its natural habitat.
Different people find different pleasures in the natural world. No matter how you enjoy the outdoors, one thing is certain: An America that’s sparse on wildlife is a poorer country. That’s why it pays to protect not only the wild places we retreat to, but also the wild animals that call these places home.
The sad truth, though, is that our growing infrastructure carves up animal habitats. As we build roads, cities and dams, we deny animals the ability to roam, whether it be to find food, mates, shelter or escape weather and other seasonal threats.
Often, a moose or a bear has no choice but to attempt to cross a busy highway. You can see the results of such attempts lying dead on the road.
There’s a straightforward solution that prevents many unnecessary animal-vehicle collisions: wildlife crossings.
Why are wildlife crossings important?
By either bridges or culverts, wildlife crossings encourage animals from turtles to bears to safely cross busy roads. That’s important for three reasons:
1. Wildlife crossings protect America’s natural world for the enjoyment of all.
Fishing, hunting, camping and other forms of outdoor recreation require healthy lakes, streams, woods and grasslands. But many ecosystems aren’t healthy at the moment.
Populations of countless species continue to decline, and many are moving closer to extinction. It makes no sense to stand by and let otherwise-healthy animals become roadkill.
Wildlife crossings reconnect fragmented habitats and encourage elk and cougars to move freely to find food, mates, shelter and escape threats. Animals that can move freely have access to a wider range of resources. And because wildlife crossings help animals thrive, such crossings have a part to play in responsibly managing our natural world not only for our enjoyment, but for our children’s and grandchildren’s, too.
2. Wildlife crossings protect people from unnecessary car crashes.
Collisions between vehicles and wildlife don’t only harm animals; they also injure drivers and passengers. There are between one and two million collisions with large animals in the U.S. each year. Roughly 26,000 people are injured and 200 are killed.
Wildlife crossings are a simple but effective solution. Crossings that are paired with roadside fencing that directs the animal to cross in the right place reduces vehicular-wildlife collisions by up to 97%.
3. Wildlife crossings save Americans money.
Car accidents involving large animals are often costly. It’s estimated that wildlife-vehicular collisions cause over $10 billion in property damage every year, not accounting for the costs associated with road cleanup.
Reducing—or even better, eliminating—vehicular collisions with large animals means fewer dented bumpers and broken windshields. That translates into money saved in the forms of fewer car repairs, eliminated medical expenses and perhaps even lowered insurance premiums.
Building wildlife crossings costs money, but they provide a solid return on investment. One study found that each crossing structure could save the U.S. between $235,000 and $443,000 annually through collision reductions.
Wildlife crossings work
More and more crossings are being built across the U.S. and researchers have been evaluating their effectiveness. In Florida, wildlife crossings reconnected fragmented black bear populations. At Canada’s Banff National Park, wildlife crossings reduced roadkill and increased animals’ access to food and shelter. And in Arizona, one wildlife overpass has been used more than 6,000 times by bighorn sheep, bobcats, deer and coyotes since 2020.
Who supports wildlife crossings?
Wildlife crossings enjoy broad bipartisan support Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.) have recently teamed up to introduce the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act. .The bill would:
- Conserve, restore and/or enhance habitat, migration routes and connectivity.
- Create a research program to improve our understanding of wildlife movement and migration routes.
- Support a corridor mapping team to map priority migration routes, with a 50% set-aside for big game movement areas.
- Direct federal agencies to coordinate actions and funding, and to improve coordination with states, tribes, and non-governmental partners.
It’s a smart path forward, and we urge Congress to take it up and pass it. Pronghorn, turtles and deer need the space to roam, and saving America’s wildlife needs precisely this type of bill. America needs this type of bill.
While you’re here, will you urge your representatives to support the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act? Tell Congress: Give America’s wildlife a chance to roam safely.
