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Group works on “Critter-Crossings”
WIN
Win Staff
6/16/2008
A planning meeting was held in Boise on June 9 to examine the growing amount of wildlife loss from road mortality on Highway 21 and Warm Springs Avenue. The established migratory routes of wildlife were abruptly disturbed largely as a result of the last decade’s development boom when housing sites were quickly developed in the area. Local, city and state agencies have responded to increased road mortality by forming a working group to co-op resources in planning and formulating solutions for wildlife protection and traffic safety. The group efforts were set in motion earlier last year after a preliminary meeting located a funding source for the project through the Idaho Transportation Department’s Enhancement Program.
The task preventing road mortality of wildlife has the group is looking to apply lessons learned on the national level for re-establishing safer wildlife routes in Idaho. Dubbed ‘critter crossings’, different applications are engineered in a wide range of designs to assist wildlife in crossing safely a two-lane road or super highway.
Which critter crossing design will work on Highway 21 is unknown, but the group has resolved to design a safer route of passage for wildlife, while improving the overall traveling safety of a growing human population.
The group’s success on the local level may lead to other regions in the state sustaining wildlife loss from road mortality to address the issue. Currently such efforts are underway in the Pocatello and Montpelier areas.
The overall purpose of the group is getting local people involved in a statewide effort of protecting wildlife. It is the hope of the group that legislators see that Idahoans want protection for their wildlife and safety in traveling those areas.
Meanwhile. the Boise based road mortality group waits to receive word on funding for the state’s first official critter crossing.
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