It’s time we bridge the gap for Washington’s wildlife
Written by Jack Bentley; Assistant Canvass Director; Seattle, Washington
Just over six months ago, I moved to the beautiful state of Washington, and since day one, I’ve been struck by our proximity to incredible wildlife. As I now get to share natural spaces with black bears, elk, and cougars, I’m worried we aren’t doing enough to protect them, especially on our roadways. Washington’s roads are a main cause of habitat fragmentation and wildlife-vehicle collisions, which lead to unnecessary deaths, inbreeding, depression, and overall unhealthy populations.
Seattle Assistant Director, Jack Bentley (on the left), speaks to Washingtonians about protecting wildlife.
Unfortunately, thousands of animals die on Washington roads every year, that is thousands of accidents that did not need to happen. Luckily, the solution is quite simple: wildlife crossings. These are often bridges or tunnels over and under roads that allow animals to roam without having to cross a road. Wildlife crossings are especially important for areas like Okanogan County which is home to one of Washington’s highest wildlife-vehicle collision corridors. Nearly one deer is killed per day along Highway 97.
There is a plan in place to build additional wildlife crossings along the highway. The project, titled Safe Passage 97, is a common-sense solution to protect the longevity of our wildlife populations, and improve safety conditions for Washington drivers.
Safe Passage 97 is just one example of habitat connectivity efforts that protect Washington’s wildlife. The Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan provides additional framework for establishing more wildlife crossings around the state.
Environment Washington is working with our members, the community, and legislators to get Safe Passage 97, and others like it, built. I’ve been helping to run our citizen outreach project to build widespread support to show state officials that Washingtonians undoubtably care about our wildlife.
Our outreach will continue to build momentum, but there is still work to be done. Please take a moment to tell your elected officials to prioritize funding wildlife crossings to protect some of our most beloved species.
Photo: Don DeBold CC-BY-2.0