Conservation in Action: In southern Utah, strategically placed wildlife crossings save wildlife and keep people safe

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By Makeda Hanson
Coordinator, Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative

Southern Utah offers spectacular scenery that attracts thousands of visitors annually. Along U.S Highway 89, this access to beautiful landscapes can also create deadly conflict. The area is home to many wildlife species, including mule deer and several species that are listed as threatened or identified as needing prioritized conservation (called “species of greatest conservation need”) in Utah’s Wildlife Action Plan, such as the desert tortoise, kit fox and burrowing owl. U.S. Highway 89 cuts right through crucial wildlife habitat and is the site of hundreds of wildlife-vehicle collisions every year, threatening the survival of wildlife and putting human lives at risk.

Burrowing owls are native to Utah

Humans see roads as a way to get from Point A to Point B. But for wildlife, roads are dangerous and can cause them many problems. While we may notice the deer that are killed on the roadway, smaller animals suffer too, but they aren’t as easy to see.

Vehicles kill as many as 10,000 large animals per year, and countless smaller animals. Here are just a few of the ways that roads impact wildlife:

  • The animals that are getting killed aren’t only the old and weak, they can be the most healthy animals who have the babies and help the populations grow.
  • Even those animals that don’t get hit on the roadway can still be stopped by a roadway because they are too scared to cross, or they lose a lot of energy trying to figure out a way to cross.
  • Some animals won’t use the areas near highways because there is too much noise or light, and others may be drawn to the roadway because of salt or green grass growing from water running off the roads.
  • Roads can also cut off access to areas with the food, water and cover that animals need to survive.

Culverts help desert tortoises cross under busy roadways

While the populations of many animals may not be severely threatened by roads, for species that are struggling and need conservation, roads may cause population declines.

In 2009, many groups from the state, federal government, local area and private businesses, worked together to find a solution to wildlife-vehicle collisions on U.S. Highway 89. The goal was to make driving safer, reduce accidents involving wildlife, and help wildlife move safely between habitats and migration routes. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Department of Transportation worked together with multiple partners — including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Federal Highway Administration, Kane County, the Bureau of Land Management, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, the Mule Deer Foundation and others — to plan, fund and construct the U.S. Highway 89 Kanab-Paunsaugunt Wildlife Crossing Project.

In 2013, as part of Phase I of the project, tall fences were put up along 12.5 miles of highway to keep wildlife off the road. Cattle guards and gates were installed on access roads to allow drivers and people access to roads, and keep wildlife off the highway. Dirt ramps were built along the road so if an animal got inside the fenced area, they could walk up the ramps and jump out of the road corridor to safety. The fencing was also used to help guide animals to seven safe places to cross the road: four existing structures and three newly constructed wildlife underpasses.

To monitor how many animals were using the wildlife crossing structures, the DWR, UDOT, and Arizona Game and Fish Department worked with Utah State University to place cameras at the structures and watch animal behavior. The cameras showed various wildlife species using the crossings, including jackrabbit, badger, black bear, bobcat, coyote and mountain lion. The impacts of these crossing structures for other smaller species is largely unknown, but likely provide safe passage for many species of all sizes. The study found that car crashes with animals decreased by 53%, and animals successfully used the seven crossing spots 77% of the time. By the fifth year of the study, six of the structures showed mule deer using the structures over 90% of the time. Phase I of the U.S. Highway 89 Kanab-Paunsaugunt Wildlife Crossing Project was reported in a 2019 UDOT study as “one of the most successful mule deer mitigation projects in all of North America.”

Number of successful mule deer movements through U.S. Highway 89 wildlife crossing structures (during a 2013-2018 study). Figure courtesy of the Utah Department of Transportation, Research & Innovation Division.

The Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program was started in 2021 as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Through this program, the Federal Highway Administration set aside money for grants to decrease accidents with wildlife on highways and help animals move between their habitats. To help match this federal money, the Utah State Legislature — with support from many different organizations — allocated to UDOT $20 million for wildlife crossings.

The partnership saw this as an opportunity to continue with Phase II of the U.S. Highway 89 Kanab-Paunsaugunt Wildlife Crossing Project. They applied for the Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program grant to build more fences and wildlife crossings along U.S. Highway 89. Phase II was awarded $5 million from the federal Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program grant, matching $5 million in funds from the Utah State Legislature.

Construction for Phase II is expected to start in the fall of 2026. It will include 7.2 more miles of fencing, upgrading of two existing culverts to allow wildlife to pass through, and the construction of one new wildlife underpass. Other funding for the project includes $300,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $100,000 from conservation organizations.

The information we gather from programs like the Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative means that every year we have more and better data to make science-based decisions about where to strategically place wildlife crossings. Projects like this one are a great example of how much different groups can accomplish when they work together.

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Conservation in Action: In southern Utah, strategically placed wildlife crossings save wildlife and keep people safe