HCR 26 and the Case for Wildlife Crossings
Idaho’s roads are getting busier. With every year that passes, we have more cars and trucks that drive along the highways that move people and goods through our state. That traffic is a natural consequence of our continued growth, but when it’s paired up with the big game migrations that are so essential for wildlife abundance and continued sporting opportunities in our great state, the resulting wildlife-vehicle collisions pose a hazard to humans and wildlife alike.
Each year in Idaho, thousands of people are involved in collisions with wildlife. Injuries and even deaths can result from these, along with millions in property damage, and the impact on big game herds continues to grow. That reality is what led sportsmen’s groups in Idaho, including IWF, to push for the introduction of House Continuing Resolution 26 – a bill that states the Idaho Legislature supports wildlife crossings that promote human safety and conserve intact migration routes, so long as those crossings are in areas where the local communities support their construction. That last point is a critical one and is reiterated in the language multiple times for a reason – these structures can be highly effective, reducing wildlife vehicle collisions by 80% or more in many cases, but local engagement is paramount and infrastructure projects such as these only work when all stakeholders engage as willing partners.
Several positive examples have recently emerged on the benefits that appropriately constructed wildlife crossings can provide. In 2023, Idaho completed its first highway overpass along Highway 21, which has seen significant success. Idaho has also secured more than $20 million in federal funding to construct several underpasses near Rocky Point. The impacts of federal funding could be materially amplified with state-level support, as neighboring states have demonstrated. HCR 26 is a first step in that process.
One of the real questions facing sportsmen and women in Idaho, and all across the West, is how we continue to grow as a state while still maintaining the wildlife abundance and sporting opportunities that characterize our way of life. This initiative is one way we can do both. Wildlife migrations can take 30-80 years to recover once they are interrupted and the benefits of minimizing wildlife vehicle collisions are manifest. IWF, in coordination with other sporting groups, will be working diligently towards the passage of HCR 26 this session and towards building a lasting coalition of sportsmen and women, as well as local partners around this issue in the years to come.
