Progress Report: New wildlife crossings for Teton County, Wyoming
If you build it, they will cross!
Every year, on average, 114 mule deer, 35 elk, and 15 moose are killed on roads in Teton County, Wyoming. A history of development within wildlife habitat has left land cross-sectioned with roads, creating a danger for Greater Yellowstone's wildlife and for ourselves and families. In Wyoming, 1 in 5 collisions involve wildlife, 1 in 50 collisions with injuries involve wildlife, and 1 in 100 fatal collisions involve wildlife. We want to change these statistics and improve roadway safety, which is why GYC's Chris Colligan helped Teton County adopt a Wildlife Crossings Master Plan in 2019.
Today, you can see the progress on S. Highway 89, where the Snake River bridge, Horse Creek culvert, and two wildlife underpasses were being installed this summer. Now, with Special Purpose Excise Tax passed in Teton County, and the County Commissioners voting to approve $3 million toward two of four wildlife crossings near the Snake River on Highway 22, we’ll be able to save some of our region’s moose, elk, and a host of other species and keep this riparian corridor permeable to wildlife and the roadway safe for our families.
-Christi Weber, Director of Communications
Video: ARC Solutions
Land of the Shoshone-Bannock, Niitsítapi (Blackfeet), Apsáalooke Crow, S’elish-Ktunaxa (Salish-Kootenai), Aaniiih (Gros Ventre), Eastern Shoshone, and Nimiipuu (Nez Perce).
