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