What is 200 feet wide and 800 feet long? The future wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 at mile marker 1.7 in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument near the California-Oregon border! We are grateful that the work of the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition (SOWCC) is moving forward. While not all the funding has been secured, the first wildlife crossing over I-5 in Oregon is in the works. SOLC and many other terrific organizations and agencies are part of this life-saving effort. Why is this important? From the SOWCC website:
Interstate 5 in southern Oregon is a vital part of our state’s transportation system. And because it passes through one of Oregon’s primary wildlife migration corridors, it can also be dangerous. Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions are increasing and causing extensive property damage and endangering human life. This is a critical public safety issue and a wildlife tragedy. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) collects data on vehicle collisions with large animals. There are approximately 7,000 such collisions in Oregon annually. ODOT regularly removes carcasses of deer, elk, bear, and cougar. Many injured animals die unseen, while smaller roadkill species are never recorded.
Fortunately, wildlife crossings work. The Lava Butte Wildlife Crossing Project on HWY 97 has reduced collisions by over 90 percent, and 29 animal species are using the two undercrossings including deer, elk, badgers, bobcats, bears, and squirrels.
Here is a 3-minute video about the SOWCC project: https://youtu.be/T8kjRJklj3I
The extended 15-minute version: https://youtu.be/0uKKRfzGpk4
