Creating a Safer Crossing for Wildlife

89230 Resource 78724 78558 78558 1113077350790 1115689892319 Controlled In Your SnowHome, Remember: We Live Among Wildlife

There is a current effort to establish a wildlife bridge over I-70

Mary and I live in a home that back up to the wetlands.  It's a terrific location.  Last summer, we had a moose grazing across from our home three nights in a row.  We frequently have foxes; we get 2-300 birds every morning in our back yard; we do battle with a very fat porcupine who likes the bird seed as much as the birds do; a couple of racoons like our home; and we have bear paw prints on the side of our house.  You learn how to live with wildlife - and you love it.  It's one of the reasons for being here.  But, the more civilization encroaches on what was once completely wild territory, the risks manifest in the form of animal deaths.  You can be fined $300, for example, for letting your dog run loose in the wetlands chasing wildlife.  But, if your dog causes an animal to become a dangerous nuisance, that animal can be put down.  One of the things that has made life much more difficult for wildlife is major highways like I-70.  Our highways, after all, bisect migration routes of many of our wild animals.  In the ten years between 1993 AND 2003, there were 83 animal collisions reported in just the few miles between East Vail and the top of Vail Pass.  That is 8 a year.  And officials estimate that is only a small percentage, since most animal collisions go unreported.  So, a new <a href="http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20050408/NEWS/104080039" target="_blank">proposal to create a wildlife br</a>idge over I-70 is timely indeed.  While the estimated $4.5 million to build it seems high, two existing ones - in Canada's Banff National Park and in Europe - have proven very effective.  A 5-year study shows an 80% reduction in animal-car collisions.  So, come to Summit County.  Enjoy our skiing, our nighlife, and our wildlife.  But, remember that those animals are for watching and enjoying, not interacting with.  And be careful on those highways. 9 application/xml false Banff National Park skiing Summit County Vail wildlife Creating a Safer Crossing for Wildlife Animal overpass proposed near the top of Vail Pass. http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20050408/NEWS/104080039 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; Tablet PC 1.7; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; .NET CLR 1.1.4322) 66.198.200.154 66.198.200.154 kdeshaies false true false false true 205866 false false true false false false true 78724 blog blogsite/SnowHome/web