The speed of trust: keeping wildlife and humans safe on Paradise Valley's roads

The stretch of Montana Highway 89 between Livingston and the northwest entrance to Yellowstone National Park is one of the most scenic travel corridors in North America. It is no wonder the valley it runs through is appropriately named Paradise. Snow-capped peaks are to the east and west, the Yellowstone River and its tributaries follow you the whole way, and pastures full of wildflowers, irrigated alfalfa, black angus cattle, and horses dot the valley floor.

Montana’s aptly-named Paradise Valley, just north of Yellowstone National Park. (Photo Chad Peltola)

Vehicles traveling these 55 miles range from tractors brimming with hay bales and 60-foot-long RVs to modern sports cars, school buses, and Dodge 2500 flatbeds with cow dogs chomping at the bit to herd whatever comes their way. The average speed limit is 70 mph, passing lanes are non-existent, and reasons for travel range widely. Some folks are in a rush to get to the park or launch their boat on the river. Others are moving slowly. Taking in the views and mildly distracted by the beauty, or unable to go above 50 in their work truck or RV packed with family members.

On top of all this commotion, wildlife is commonly crossing the highway and dodging traffic. Common species include elk, white-tailed deer, bison, mule deer, pronghorn, big-horn sheep, skunk, songbirds, ground squirrels, coyote, moose, and raccoons. Less common wildlife includes fox, black bear, grizzlies, wolves, raptors, frogs, snakes, cougars, and beaver. The likelihood of a wildlife-vehicle collision is higher in this particular valley than almost any other place in the entire state according to State Farm Insurance reports.

Elk are one of the ungulate species that frequent Paradise Valley. (Photo Stephanie LeBlanc)

Yellowstone Safe Passages (YSP) was formed due to this concern and with the common goal of improving the safety of humans and wildlife. NGO partners in this group include GYC, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, National Parks Conservation Association, and Park County Environmental Council. The other two colleagues are independent and act as the coalition liaison and field technician.

It became obvious early on in this partnership that each and every voice in the community plays a role in achieving our goal. YSP keeps the momentum, but agencies including Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Montana Department of Transportation as well as landowners, community members, business owners, and more are what is needed to make real progress happen. Good communication and collaboration bring all these different groups together which is why we are constantly reminding ourselves to move at the speed of trust.  Although this can be hard to identify, and requires a lot of patience, it is something we often forget to do in the world of conservation.  

Montana Highway 89 runs through the Paradise Valley, taking drives to-and-from Livingston, Montana and Gardiner, Montana. (Photo Tim Gage/Flickr Creative Commons)

The Paradise Valley is not only a dynamic landscape, but the people who spend time here add to the complexity. Most of the property bordering Highway 89 is private. This includes large ranches, small parcels, RV parks, businesses, and guest ranches. Ownership of this land is in the hands of multigenerational families, newcomers from other states and countries, famous entertainers, corporate businesses, and more. Attitudes range from those who are opposed to or fearful of change, to those who embrace change, and those who simply want to be left alone. Income and lifestyle vary widely throughout this community as well.

Mixed in with the locals are the millions of people who visit every year.  Whether to do word-class fishing, visit Yellowstone National Park, view wildlife, hunt wildlife, ride horses, hike, snowmobile, or soak at Chico Hot Springs they all drive this stretch of highway. As varied as this laundry list of people is you would be hard-pressed to find one of them that does not agree something needs to be done to improve safety and reduce the rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions in this remarkable place.

Although the success of Yellowstone Safe Passages is dependent on private, state, and federal funding, sufficient data collection to identify the best crossing locations, and the expertise of engineers and road ecologists, none of this matters without garnering the support of the local community. Projects with similar goals throughout the country have been stifled due to ignoring the time it takes to build honest and lasting relationships. Important voices were not invited to sit at the table, given the opportunity to speak, and be heard. Assumptions were easily made, rumors spread like wildfire, and projects got stopped dead in their tracks. These mistakes are seen in wildlife crossings work and conservation work in general. YSP and many others want this effort to succeed and get done in the best way possible, so for now we will continue moving at the speed of trust. 

By engaging a wide range of people who care about this region, we have been building this trust in a variety of ways. Our frequent dialogue with agency partners has been pivotal and will only become more so as time goes on. YSP hosted a five-part webinar series last year which helped inform us and others who tuned in, gauge interest, and begin to get an understanding of the long process we are embarking on. We have hosted a few casual, in-person gatherings in Livingston, Emigrant, and Gardiner more recently to discuss our work in small groups and thank our citizen science participants. These gatherings will continue long into the future.

Yellowstone Safe Passages hosts public events throughout Paradise Valley to engage locals. (Photo Blakeley Adkins/GYC)

Michelle, our dedicated field technician, has been monitoring the highway weekly to count carcasses and live wildlife. Community members who participate in our citizen science program have also been collecting this same information when they travel the corridor on our specialized App. These records will contribute to a robust dataset used to identify where the most dangerous stretches are for us and wildlife. Walking the fence lines of these “hot spots” with landowners, recording their testimonials, and taking note of where we encounter wildlife signs (game trails, extensive fence damage, scat, and tracks) will help further inform us of wildlife movement patterns. This is also a great opportunity to learn directly from the people who live along the highway.

For more information on Yellowstone Safe Passages, to watch our webinar series, become a citizen scientist or contact us with questions please visit our website at https://www.yellowstonesafepassages.org/.

—Blakeley Adkins, Volgenau Foundation Wildlife Conservation Associate

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.