September 2023 - 37

" Certainly, there are benefits to designating a corridor,
but that doesn't mean we aren't doing good
things across the state regardless of designation
status. "
Some of the most significant projects for mule
deer in recent years have taken place where deer
and people intersect. As deer hoof it over land,
people drive the state's roads. It's no surprise that
sometimes these travelers cross paths, and it's often
fatal for deer.
According to a 2021 report released by The
Nature Conservancy titled, Impacts of Roadways
on Wildlife in Wyoming, about 5,500 mule deer
are struck by vehicles in Wyoming each year. These
collisions are vastly underreported, and a conservative
estimate is two times as many deer are hit on
Wyoming's roadways each year. While other big
game have these encounters, mule deer make up
the vast majority of wildlife-vehicle collisions in
the state. Deer are involved in about 87 percent
of the state's wildlife-vehicle crashes with the vast
majority of those being mule deer. That means 1.5
to 3 percent of Wyoming's deer are lost annually
on the state's roads. Reducing these incidents is
imperative for human safety and to maintain healthy
deer populations.
Wildlife overpasses and underpasses are employed
to reduce these types of collisions. Some overpasses
and underpasses are put at roadways along migration
routes, providing key connectivity between summer
and winter ranges. Others are placed within a particular
seasonal range such as winter range, providing
deer with safer access to a larger area without the
risk of crossing a road.
These types of solutions can be expensive, often
costing millions of dollars. This means executing
multiple projects at once is very difficult, and multiple
funding sources are needed for each project. The
state has come up with some creative ways to fund
roadway solutions. One source of funding comes
from conservation license plates. A partnership
between Game and Fish and the Wyoming Department
of Transportation with legislative support,
these specialty plates can be purchased for vehicles
with an upfront cost of $180 and an annual renewal
of $50. Funds from these plates go toward projects
like overpasses, underpasses and fencing to reduce
wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Roadway projects take planning, funds and partnerships
to successfully implement. Without a statewide
comprehensive strategy, these roadway-focused
projects wouldn't be able to move forward. Stakeholders
across the state have been fully engaged and
helped plan, implement and fund these projects.
A trail camera captures mule deer moving through a wildlife underpass west of Pinedale. The data from trial cameras
like this is used to document what species travel through underpasses and overpasses. Mule deer readily use
underpasses, whereas pronghorn generally prefer to use more expensive overpasses. (Photo by Hall Sawyer/WEST, Inc.)
Deer are involved in about 87 percent of the state's wildlifevehicle
crashes with the vast majority of those being mule
deer. That means 1.5 to 3 percent of Wyoming's deer are
lost annually on the state's roads. Reducing these incidents
is imperative for human safety and to maintain healthy
deer populations.
Mule deer utilize wildlife-friendly fencing at the junction of U.S. Highway 191 and Wyoming Highway 352 near
the Trapper's Point overpass west of Pinedale. (Photo by Mark Gocke/WGFD)
Wyoming Wildlife | 35

September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2023