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USGS researchers kick-off collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration with a tour of state wildlife crossings and a day at the Fort Collins Science Center

By Fort Collins Science Center June 18, 2024

Sarah Carter and Nathan Kleist hosted the Federal Highway Administration and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center at the Fort Collins Science Center on 5 June 2024. The all-day workshop was a kickoff for development of a report to congress on wildlife vehicle conflicts and measures for promoting fish and wildlife connectivity. 

The workshop was preceded by a field day for the agencies hosted by the Colorado Department of Transportation. The group visited three current and planned wildlife crossing structures including a recently completed wildlife underpass on I-25 south of Castle Rock, and the site of a planned major wildlife overpass. 
 
The wildlife overpass is funded and supported by a large coalition of partners, including Douglas County and a grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Construction on the wildlife overpass is slated to begin this year. It will be one of the largest in the country and will connect thousands of acres of permanently protected big game habitat and open space on either side of the highway. 
 
This partnership was initiated by the Species Management Research Program (SMRP) in the Ecosystems Mission Area and is being supported by SMRP and the Fort Collins Science Center. 
 
 
two people stand under a large highway underpass
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A newly constructed wildlife underpass of Highway I-70 in Colorado was designed to promote crossings of large and small wildlife; piles of woody sticks provide cover for smaller animals while the height and width of the wildlife underpass provide plenty of room for larger animals.
A group of people in safety gear walk a dirt road next to a fence.
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Fencing adjacent to an I-25 wildlife underpass encourages animals to use the constructed wildlife crossing, instead of trying to directly cross the highway.
seven people wearing safety gear stand in front of a large field, with a road in the background.
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Field trip hosts from the Colorado Department of Transportation took the group from USGS and the Federal Highways Administration to the site of a future I-25 wildlife overpass.

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