Summit County Safe Passages

Summit County Safe Passages

Vail Pass has long been identified as an ecologically significant area for restoring connectivity along the spine of the Rocky Mountains for a variety of wildlife including elk, mule deer and one of the few known breeding populations of Canada lynx outside of southwest Colorado. The I-70 East Vail Pass Wildlife Crossings Project will install three wildlife crossings, and wildlife exclusion fencing on I-70 between Vail Pass and Copper Mountain to restore landscape connectivity along the spine of the Southern Rocky Mountains in central Colorado. The project leverages existing wildlife infrastructure to reduce project costs and maximize gains and offers a cost-effective solution to wildlife-vehicle conflict with far-reaching human and ecological benefits.

2022 saw incredible progress towards this goal:

• In May, Summit County Safe Passages (SCSP) partners successfully lobbied for the passage of Colorado Senate Bill 22-151 “Safe Crossings for Colorado Wildlife and Motorists” with East Vail Pass as a showcase project, which created a $5 million dollar fund for wildlife crossing projects in the state. The Transportation Commission approved an allocation of $750,000 for the East Vail Pass Wildlife Crossing, launching the project into the next phase of design.
• In August, SCSP hosted a Campaign Launch and Field Day event, which was attended by First Gentleman Marlon Reis; Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Parks and Wildlife leadership and regional staff; Forest Service district leadership; county commissioners; ski area representatives; and other partners. At this event, CDOT committed to leading the East Vail Pass Wildlife Crossings project.
• CDOT, Summit County, and SCSP have now formed a formal partnership: CDOT is managing the project and will oversee design and construction; Summit County is acting as the pass-through for all externally raised funds; and SCSP continues to have an essential role in raising private and corporate donations to leverage state and federal grant funds.

Investing in wildlife crossings creates safer roads for wildlife and people. Your donation will help advance the project design and unlock new funding. To learn more about Summit County Safe Passages, Click Here!

Summit County Safe Passages is a project of Rocky Mountain Wild.