8-foot-high wildlife fence tries to separate cars from beasts
A herd of elk wanders through Estes Park on Monday to the delight of tourists | Walt Hester, Estes Park Trail Gazette
The Colorado Department of Transportation will begin installing an 8-foot-high wildlife fence along Colo. 82 between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale to keep elk and other animals from wandering onto the road, according to the Aspen Times.
That section of highway — part of the connection between Aspen to I-70 — has earned the dubious distinction of having one of the worst rates of vehicle-animal collisions in the entire state. There were 39 such accidents in 2005, the last year data was taken.
The project will also include six wildlife escape ramps — earthen berms that allow animals a way to jump down off the road without letting them hop back up.
The wildlife fence may reduce animal-vehicle collisions, but it doesn’t solve the larger problem of habitat fragmentation, some environmentalists say. In Colorado, swaths of valuable forest and wilderness lands have been sliced up by busy roads, keeping animals from safely using all the available resources.
Keep reading after the jump to find out about proposed wildlife bridges on I-70 and what Boulder County is doing to help elk cross the road (and make it to the other side). Read more



