Frequently Asked questions

Wildlife-Vehicle Conflicts can be divided into three overarching and intertwined parts: 1) Human Safety, 2) Economic Impact, and 3) Wildlife Conservation. WVCs can be deadly to people. WVCs are almost always expensive and pose a direct economic threat to local livelihoods. WVCs also kill many animals, can cause habitat fragmentation, and in some cases can impact populations of threatened and endangered species.

Roughly 50% of all highway accidents in the Upper Yellowstone are wildlife related.  This accounts for a conservative estimate of well over 160 WVCs per year between Livingston and Gardiner.

Few places in North America have as many wildlife as we do in the Upper Yellowstone.  These are the animals subject to WVCs: whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, moose, bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, black bear, mountain lion, coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk, and many smaller creatures.  We occasionally strike large birds of prey along the highway too.

Wildlife-vehicle conflicts are expensive.  Research suggests that the average collision costs for deer, elk, and moose are $10,248, $22,344 and $36,568 respectively (Huijser et al., 2008, adjusted for inflation). Considering the watershed’s high traffic volumes, we can safely assume that the last ten-year period (2012--2022) has produced roughly $15 million in damages.

WVCs connect to a broad stroke of interests.  Those interests come from the conservation community (environmental NGOs), state and federal agencies, tribes, elected officials, sporting groups, philanthropists, and local individuals, landowners, and community groups who represent or advocate for improved livelihoods of people and wildlife.  The conversation about wildlife-vehicle conflict has been going on for nearly two decades in Montana, as it has in many other places around the United States and Canada. (Check out our graphic towards the bottom of the page!)

From an efficacy standpoint WVC mitigation treatments are proving their worth. Those treatments include wildlife overpasses, underpasses, and diversion fencing that guides wildlife to the crossing structures.  Other treatments include variable message signage, reduced speed limits and educational programming, but these three should be considered complements to structures and diversion fencing.

Yellowstone Safe Passages started out of recognition that a community-led partnership would be best equipped to elevate awareness about the significance of WVCs in our watershed.  Most of our partners are folks who live right here in the watershed, travel the highway on a regular basis, and have for many years believed that WVCs can be preventable along some stretches of highway.  We launched Yellowstone Safe Passages to keep the conversation alive and to focus diligently on creating new and lasting partnerships between community members and other stakeholders connected to this glaring issue.