Wildlife/vehicle collisions near Dubois are subject of Dec. 8 virtual public meeting

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) invite interested citizens to attend a virtual meeting to discuss possible solutions to wildlife/vehicle collisions along US 26/287 outside of Dubois.

The virtual meeting will be held over ZOOM on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. Participants must pre-register, and participants will be sent a confirmation email with a link and a passcode to join the meeting. Please join by video using the online meeting link to view the presentation. To register for the meeting, go to the internet at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regional-Offices/Lander-Region-old/Wildlife-and-Roadways and provide information to receive the confirmation email. 

Annually, an average of 136 vehicle/mule deer collisions occur on this stretch of highway, costing $746,000 per year. WYDOT, as well as Game and Fish, and various wildlife and community groups, hope to reduce these collisions as well as impacts to other wildlife, such as bighorn sheep. These entities are taking action to find solutions that give wildlife the green light for safe passage along this 26-mile stretch of US26/287, from east to west outside of Dubois. 

This stretch of highway was identified at the 2017 Wildlife and Roadways Summit as one of the top 10 priority areas in the state to begin looking for solutions. The summit kicked off the Wildlife and Roadways Initiative that Game and Fish, WYDOT, and other governmental and non-governmental agencies have been working on to identify priority areas and work together to find ways to fund and implement projects that reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions, increase motorist safety, and maintain or re-establish disconnected wildlife migration routes.

To evaluate this stretch of highway, Julia Kintsch from ECO-resolutions, LLC, was hired as a consultant. Kintsch has 15 years of experience helping wildlife and transportation agencies mitigate wildlife movement. At the Dec. 8 meeting, Kintsch will present the project partnership’s initial findings and ideas for solutions. 

Please pre-register and plan to join the ZOOM and share your thoughts about the information gathered, what has been learned, and some potential solutions to reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions in the Dubois area.   

For information about the meeting or the project, please contact Wyoming Game and Fish Lander Region Wildlife Management Coordinator Daryl Lutz at (307) 335-2616.

For information about WYDOT's work, contact WYDOT public relations specialist Cody Beers at (307) 431-1803.