by Estes Valley Land Trust | Jun 30, 2026 | Uncategorized
Safe Passage for Wildlife: Transportation Solutions to Protect Wildlife
The land trust hosted its first educational breakfast event of the year on Saturday June
27th highlighting efforts to increase safety for wildlife and drivers in Colorado. The event was
held at the Salvation Army’s High Peak Camp.
Estes Park is known for its remarkable wildlife and healthy habitats that support elk, deer,
sheep, mountain lions, and countless other species. Yet, many of us have experienced the
heartbreak of seeing wildlife injured or killed along our roadways, a reminder of the challenges
animals face as they move through increasingly busy landscapes. Wildlife-vehicle collisions
affect not only animals, but also the safety of residents and visitors who share these roads every
day.
Wildlife crossings structures are emerging as solutions to mitigate habitat fragmentation and
facilitate safe wildlife movement across high-traffic corridors. These crossings, which include
overpasses, underpasses, and miles of strategic fencing, have successfully guided animals to
safety. Colorado is leading the country in the construction of wildlife passages. Our state
has constructed more wildlife crossings than any other state in the country, and is home to
North America’s largest overpass, located in Douglas County over I-25. While Colorado’s large-
scale crossing structures have gained national attention, Colorado also has several highly
successful wildlife crossings explicitly built to protect small, rural mountain communities that
suffer from high rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Breakfast attendees heard from two guest speakers who discussed how these projects are
planned and implemented, with a focus on the I-25 overpass: Dr. Rick Knight from Colorado
State University and Chuck Attardo from the Colorado Department of Transportation. Their work
shows how collaboration between science and public infrastructure is helping to create a safer
future for both Colorado’s wildlife and the people who travel through these landscapes every
day.
Learn more at these resources below.
Enacted 2026 CO Crossings Leg Coalition Factsheet
Sometimes, the simplest things can help wildlife
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by Estes Valley Land Trust | Jul 8, 2020 | Uncategorized
Amy Plummer, volunteer monitor and board member, took us along as she monitored a private conservation easement near Old Man Mountain. Enjoy the great views and wildflowers with her!
by Estes Valley Land Trust | May 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
Photo by Jim Ward
Spring has sprung here in the valley! The wildflowers are blooming, elk are calving, and baby birds are learning to fly.
We wanted to share these videos of a family of owls growing up in the Estes Valley this spring. The three owlets are fledging this week, and will be moving out of the nest soon enough.
Local videographer Rick Martinez has been documenting this family, and you can watch three of our favorite videos here:
Owlets Playing in Their Nest
Owlets Testing Their Wings
Owlets Learning to Fly
by Estes Valley Land Trust | May 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
Our community has learned time and time again that we depend on each other to survive and thrive. We build relationships in the good times and lean on each other in the tough times.
Lichens are valuable to our ecosystems, converting CO2 to oxygen, creating valuable plant habitat, and providing nesting materials to critters. Lichen build relationships just like us – they are not one living organism, but the result of a symbiotic relationship among organisms. Without each other, they would not exist. Recently, scientists learned something new about that relationship, and this short film will tell you all about it!
by Estes Valley Land Trust | May 5, 2020 | News & Notes
We wanted to share these beautiful photos of birds in the Estes Valley, taken by land trust member Jim Ward. We are so fortunate to have wildlife all around us!
The Estes Valley Land Trust wants to thank you for your role in helping us protect wildlife habitat and support our community. Giving Tuesday has passed, but you can still give to local nonprofits. There are two ways to support your community today:
Donate to your favorite non-profit organization.
GivingTuesday.org and ColoradoGives.org can help you locate non-profits in your community. There are so many service organizations that are helping those that are hurting most right now.
Donate to the Estes Valley Land Trust.
You can also donate to the Estes Valley Land Trust. Nature is therapy for many of us, and your donation helps us preserve some of the most beautiful places on earth.
