(Photo courtesy of Central Oregon LandWatch)
Expected New Crossings from Bend to Suttle Lake
Central Oregon is set to construct a series of wildlife crossings over Highway 20, stretching from Bend to Suttle Lake. Highway 20, between Bend and Suttle Lake, crosses through several important wildlife movement corridors for mule deer, elk, and other wildlife, according to wildlife studies conducted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
According to information presented by Central Oregon LandWatch, This section of highway sees the highest density of deer and elk wildlife-vehicle collisions in the entire state, with 350 to 600 mule deer and elk killed yearly by vehicle strikes. Research from September 2022 finds that vehicle damage, medical expenses, and lost hunting value impose an average cost of $16,967 for a deer collision and $56,782 for an elk collision. The cumulative cost for those two species alone on Oregon’s roads totaled $91.7 million in 2022.
To address the growing safety concern for wildlife and motorists along Highway 20, state and federal agencies, nonprofits, landowners and institutions formed the Bend to Suttle Lake Wildlife Passage Initiative. The goal of this group is to construct safe wildlife crossings for the benefit of wildlife and motorists along a 35-mile stretch of Highway 20 from Bend to Suttle Lake.
In 2019, the Oregon legislature directed ODOT and ODFW to coordinate efforts to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions based on available data. Since the bill’s passage, the legislature has allocated $12 million to support wildlife crossing initiatives across the state. At the federal level, in 2021, the U.S. Congress authorized $350 million in competitive grants available through the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.
This recent state and federal support provides Oregon with a rare opportunity to secure the funding needed for projects that other states have already seen success with; Oregon currently only has five of these wildlife crossings, while nearby states like Washington, Utah and Colorado have 30, 50 and 69, respectively.
For this reason, it may be unsurprising to learn that Oregon drivers are more likely to hit wildlife on our public roads than any other drivers of other states on the West Coast.
The existing wildlife crossings in Oregon have yielded promising results. On Highway 97, in their first two years, the Crawford Road and Lava Butte wildlife underpasses on Highway 97 in Central Oregon were used by 31 different species, and deer-vehicle collisions were reduced by over 90 percent within fenced areas.
According to LandWatch, wildlife crossings are a wise investment, yielding annual benefits of $250,000 to $443,000 per structure.
In addition to data showing us how effective well-thought out wildlife crossings can be, their construction also receives bipartisan support. A 2020 poll by Pew Charitable Trusts found that 86% of Oregon voters favor constructing more wildlife crossings, indicating broad support from voters in urban, suburban and rural communities.
The crossings are planned for four priority areas near Black Butte, as well as six other potential locations along Highway 20. For more information regarding this project, visit centraloregonlandwatch.org and read their 2024 Impact Report.
