Three mule deer became the first animals to use California’s first wildlife crossing as construction nears completion in Siskiyou County. The crossing is designed to reduce fatal wildlife-vehicle collisions along State Route 97 and support safe movement for gr
The first animals to walk over California’s first wildlife crossing stepped onto a stretch of road that has killed them too often.
Three mule deer were captured on camera last month traversing the crossing as it nears completion in Siskiyou County. according to the UC Davis Road Ecology Center and the California Department of Transportation. The crossing sits over a deadly stretch of State Route 97 where. Caltrans says. more than 50 deer and 16 elk were struck and killed by vehicles between 2015 and 2020.
Construction on the project began in July. Now, with the crossing and several miles of fencing coming together, officials say it will change what wildlife faces when it approaches the highway—turning a hazard into a passage.
The crossing will be critical for the movement of gray wolf. elk. mountain lions. black bear. mule deer and other wildlife. Fraser Shilling. director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center. said in a statement. “It heralds a new era of wildlife overcrossings to improve wildlife connectivity,” Shilling said.
The Siskiyou crossing is part of a broader push across California to build wildlife passages. UC Davis and Caltrans point to multiple projects underway. including a $114-million crossing in Agoura Hills billed as the world’s largest. which is set to open over the 101 Freeway later this year. There are also two smaller crossings in the Mojave Desert and three more spanning Interstate 15.
Other states have already seen results from similar efforts. Projects in states including Utah and Washington have significantly reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions and encouraged biodiversity.
For drivers, the deer on camera are still just the beginning—proof of concept on a route that has taken too many animals. For wildlife, the stakes are immediate: the difference between crossing a highway and crossing safely.
California wildlife crossing mule deer Siskiyou County State Route 97 UC Davis Road Ecology Center Caltrans gray wolf elk mountain lions black bear wildlife connectivity