With federal money for wildlife crossings drying up and on hold, wildlife advocates are trying to raise $500 million in private donations to get crossing projects rolling again.
The future of federal highway grants for wildlife crossings in Wyoming remains in question. That’s put some projects on hold, most notably a crossing along vital mule deer migration routes along U.S. Highway 26 near Dubois.
What started as a $300 million federal grant pool for wildlife projects across the country is shrinking fast, with about $80 million to $100 million remaining.
Even that money remains indefinitely on hold as the Trump administration continues to scrutinize federal budgets. In the meantime, money is sorely needed for Wyoming wildlife crossing projects.
“The U.S. Highway 26 crossing alone is a $28 million project, and that’s just one project in one state,” Chris McBarnes, president of the WYldlife Fund, told Cowboy State Daily.
What About Private Donations?
Drumming up private money for wildlife crossings across the country could be the answer, said Beth Pratt, the California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
She was involved in raising money for the Wallis Annenberg crossing outside of Los Angeles, which broke ground in 2022.
“If we can raise $100 million for (that) one project, then $500 million will get a lot of projects going in Wyoming and across the rest of the country,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
Donations raised through the NWF and partnering groups could go toward dollar-for-dollar matches of federal highway funds.
Pratt and other wildlife advocates just finished a road trip tour of existing and proposed wildlife crossings across several states in the West, including southwestern Wyoming. They plan to take another trip next spring, which will include a swing through other parts of Wyoming.
They also passed through Colorado, which included a stop near the town of La Junta. That community pitched in to build a highway crossing for tarantulas, which emerge by the thousands there every year.
‘Vast Migrations, Vast Herds’
Pratt lives near the southwest entrance to Yosemite National Park in California, but she previously lived and worked in and around Yellowstone National Park as well as elsewhere in Wyoming and Montana.
She’s also familiar with the area around the proposed wildlife crossing near Dubois. That is one of the top priorities among crossing projects in Wyoming.
The plan is to build three wildlife underpasses and an overpass along a 25-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 26 near Dubois. It’s a major migration area for mule deer, and is also frequently used by elk, pronghorn and other species.
Pratt said wildlife crossings are important in all 50 states. But there’s a particular sense of urgency in Wyoming because of the sheer number of animals trying to cross highways cutting through major migration routes.
“A lot of people in the U.S. aren’t dealing with these vast migrations and these vast herds like Wyoming is,” Pratt said.
McBarnes said he’s spoken with Pratt, and he thinks the fundraising effort she and the NWF are spearheading is a good idea.
“I fully support what they’re doing,” he said.
Wildlife crossings are expensive, and plans can’t get off the ground without money, he said.
“If we don’t have a solidified mechanism for obtaining larger funds, these larger projects will be difficult to attain,” McBarnes said.
Everybody Likes Wildlife Crossings
Pratt said that in traveling around the country, she’s noticed that the importance of wildlife crossings is one thing people can agree on, despite other political or ideological differences.
“We’re living in a time when people agree on so little. But no matter how people vote, we can all agree on wildlife crossings,” she said. “There’s so much unity around getting wildlife crossings built, and that gives me hope.”
Pratt said she’s impressed by the level of cooperation between private parties, conservation organizations and state government agencies in Wyoming in planning and promoting wildlife crossings.
“My assessment is that people in Wyoming, as well as the agencies there, are really showing leadership,” she said. “They really want these crossings.”
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
