Three mule deer did not wait for California’s first wildlife overpass to be finished.<\/p>\n
The deer crossed the new structure spanning State Route 97 before crews completed fencing intended to guide<\/strong> wildlife onto it.<\/p>\n This marked the first documented use of the structure by wildlife.<\/p>\n California built the overcrossing to improve wildlife connectivity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Would wildlife actually use it? The question came well before construction was even done.<\/p>\n This overcrossing was constructed along State Route 97 in Siskiyou County near the Oregon border. Work on this project started in July 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It will soon be completed.<\/p>\n The project was designed to reduce wildlife collisions and help animals move<\/strong> between seasonal habitats.<\/p>\n Caltrans and researchers identified stretches of roadway where wildlife collisions were common. Between 2015 and 2020, more than 50 deer and 16 elk were killed by vehicles traveling on SR 97.<\/p>\n The corridor has long been associated with wildlife-vehicle conflicts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n SR 97 cuts through seasonal habitat used by migrating mule deer and elk. Drivers frequently encounter these animals as they move between seasonal habitats.<\/p>\n For many years, researchers have identified this corridor as being among the most critical locations<\/strong> for improving wildlife connectivity.<\/p>\n The Siskiyou County project represents a landmark achievement for California transportation infrastructure. According to the University of California<\/a>, this is the first wildlife overcrossing that Caltrans planned, funded, and built.<\/p>\n Its purpose was to improve wildlife connectivity<\/strong> rather than mitigate another project.<\/p>\n It is anticipated that this crossing will provide safe passage for a variety of wildlife species.<\/p>\n These include mule deer, elk, gray wolves, mountain lions, black bears, and smaller animals such as raccoons and rabbits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n To study wildlife behavior, researchers placed approximately 100 cameras throughout the area surrounding the crossing<\/a>. In late May, these cameras recorded three mule deer walking across the structure.<\/p>\n The timing attracted attention because the project was still<\/strong> being completed.<\/p>\n At the time of crossing, approximately 15 hours had passed since work ended for the day and crews left the site.<\/p>\n Contractors were still completing work on the crossing. They were installing fencing to guide animals toward<\/strong> the crossing and away from traffic.<\/p>\n The crossing also includes a concrete box culvert beneath the highway.<\/p>\n Caltrans District 2<\/a> (via Facebook) noted that wildlife began using the crossing while construction work was still underway. Even before all fencing was completed, the deer located and crossed the bridge.<\/p>\n Wildlife activity around the crossing continues to expand. Researchers continue to monitor wildlife activity around the crossing.<\/p>\n There are reported sightings of several different species<\/strong>, including a potential bobcat crossing; however, this has yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n The Siskiyou County wildlife crossing project is part of a broader effort to restore habitat connectivity severed by highways and roads.<\/p>\n An additional much larger project is currently under development in southern California. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing spans U.S. Hwy 101<\/a> and will connect mountain lion habitat with other wildlife habitat.<\/p>\n The project is expected to open later this year.<\/p>\n California is also developing wildlife crossings in other<\/strong> parts of the state.<\/p>\n Wildlife crossings are becoming increasingly popular in regions where roadways block migratory routes or divide wildlife populations.<\/p>\n Similar projects such as the one in Siskiyou County aim to mitigate collisions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n They also provide a safe way for animals to move through developed landscapes.<\/p>\n Construction was not yet complete, and all fencing had not yet been finished. While crews were still working nearby, three mule deer crossed the bridge<\/strong> it was built for.<\/p>\n Similar projects are expanding elsewhere, including America’s first major wildlife highway taking shape<\/a> in North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Three mule deer did not wait for California’s first wildlife overpass to be finished. The deer crossed the new structure spanning State Route 97 before crews completed fencing intended to guide wildlife onto it. This marked the first documented use of the structure by wildlife. California built the overcrossing to improve wildlife connectivity. Would wildlife … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":33060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"California,wildlife,bridge","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Three mule deer crossed California's first wildlife overcrossing before crews finished installing fencing designed to guide animals onto the structure.","footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why Highway 97 needs a wildlife crossing<\/h2>\n
Deer crossed before construction was finished<\/h2>\n
A larger transformation may occur<\/h2>\n
Why more crossings are being built<\/h3>\n