Wildlife and Roadways
Current Project: U.S. Highway 26/287
Dubois, Wyoming
OTHER RESOURCES:
-Here is an interactive webpage, or storyboard, where you can learn more about the project at your own pace.
-Final Mitigation Strategy (November 12, 2021)
-Powerpoint presentation from Dec. 16 meeting
Agencies to present plans to reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions in the Dubois area in December public meeting
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) invite interested citizens to attend a public meeting as the final mitigation strategy is presented concerning wildlife/vehicle collisions along U.S. 26/287 east and west of Dubois.
The public meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Headwaters Arts and Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker St., Dubois. A virtual option will be available over Zoom with preregistration required at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BT7v34MTRemci5Z0JddEPQ
The U.S. 26/287 study area includes eight mitigation segments, east and west of Dubois.
From 2015 through 2019, wildlife/vehicle collisions accounted for 74 percent of all vehicle crashes between mileposts 48-73 on U.S. 26/287. Each year, on average, there are 28 reported wildlife-vehicle crashes reported to law enforcement and an additional 131 recorded animal carcasses removed from this section of roadway. The annual cost of these collisions is estimated at $791,400, including property damage, accident response, cleanup costs, and the value of the wildlife killed in the crashes. Consequently, this stretch of highway is one of the most dangerous and costly in the state in terms of wildlife/vehicle collision risk and has been identified as a top priority in the Wildlife and Roadways Initiative.
To evaluate the collision-reduction possibilities on this stretch of highway, Julia Kintsch from ECO-resolutions, LLC, was hired as a consultant. Kintsch has 15 years of experience helping wildlife and transportation agencies mitigate wildlife movement. Kintsch will present the final mitigation strategy developed by the project partnership, which is available for review on the project website: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/DuboisRoads
"Funding for these wildlife-crossing mitigation strategies will be actively pursued in the future," said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Lander Region Wildlife Management Coordinator Daryl Lutz. "The mitigation plan and effort in this area was launched in response to the numerous wildlife/vehicle collisions and citizen requests to address them along this stretch of highway. The mitigation strategy will be used as a basis for project fundraising and implementation.”
For information about the meeting or the project, please contact Daryl Lutz at (307) 335-2616 or Randy Merritt (WYDOT) at (307) 568-3400.
PREVIOUS NEWS AND UPDATES
Photo by Mark Gocke.
-Draft Mitigation Strategy
-Presentation from the April 27, 2021 public meeting
Wildlife and Roadways Initiative Background
Much work has been undertaken in Wyoming to re-establish or maintain wildlife movement corridors and to minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions. Much remains to be done. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) and Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) are committed to increasing emphasis and focus on these issues. In April, 2017, WYDOT and WGFD jointly hosted the “Wyoming’s Wildlife and Roadways Summit” (Summit) to focus attention on migrating and wintering wildlife, wildlife-vehicle collisions, and motorist safety. This event was a unique opportunity for state agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), members of the public, and other stakeholders to come together to actively address these critical issues and identify opportunities to mitigate these conflicts.
View the map of priority areas and more details on the Initiative.
Wildlife and Roadways Summit Information
April 26-27, 2017
Notes and Transcripts:
- Notes from breakout groups 1-8, April 26, 2017
- Maps
- WGFD Regions over WYDOT Districts
- Deer/Vehicle collisions 2011-2015 - the redder the area, the more collisions
- Pronghorn/Vehicle collisions 2011-2015 - the redder the area, the more collisions
- WYDOT District 1 Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)
- WYDOT District 2 Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)
- WYDOT District 3a Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)
- WYDOT District 3b Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)
- WYDOT District 3c Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)
- WYDOT District 4 Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)
- WYDOT District 5 Breakout Group - Problem areas and priorities (deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose)