State agencies, wildlife biologists and conservation groups are convening a virtual summit to continue work aimed at reducing the number of collisions between vehicles and wildlife on Wyoming roads. Scott Gamo with the Wyoming Department of Transportation has been working to prioritize projects in areas with more frequent and costly crashes, and higher animal mortalities. He says advances in G-P-S and radio tracking technologies have given his team more data on animal behavior.
Gamo said “That show where they move across the landscape. And if some of these crash areas, coincided with important migration routes, those were rated very high in importance.”
The Wyoming Wildlife and Roadways Summit brings back participants who met in 2017, along with new partners, to review successful programs. Those include animal over- and underpasses, which Corinna Riginos with The Nature Conservancy notes are 80 to 90 percent effective at preventing collisions. The group also will discuss alternative strategies for places where crossing structures are not possible, such as modifying fences or clearing vegetation near roads so animals can be seen by motorists.
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