Meet the A-Team: Virginia Leffler
Unseen wildlife need loud advocates. That's the rallying cry behind the RFSP Advocacy Team (aka the A-Team), a group of valley residents who show up for this work in their own words, through their own networks, and with their own differing skillsets. Because safe passages for wildlife don't happen without a community behind them — they happen because of it. Virginia Leffler is one of those people. An administrative assistant at Aspen Elementary School and six-year valley resident, Virginia was writing letters to the BOCC and CDOT about wildlife crossings before RFSP even existed. We sat down with her to find out what drives her — and what gives her hope.
Colorado gets closer to funding wildlife crossings, while Roaring Fork projects gain traction
First thing Monday morning, Roaring Fork Safe Passages took to the skies on an EcoFlight to get an aerial view of some of the region’s wildlife corridors.
The nonprofit received $200,000, approved by Pitkin County commissioners earlier this month, to fund a wildlife-crossing feasibility study on two of their five proposed projects. The county’s money will match $200,000 already raised by the nonprofit, bringing the total to $400,000.
Pitkin County agrees to contribute $200,000 to Roaring Fork Safe Passages study
The Board of Pitkin County Commissioners voted on Wednesday to approve up to $200,000 in match funding for a Roaring Fork Safe Passages study to begin this fall.
The feasibility study will determine open engineering questions like what wildlife crossing structures are needed, what the cost breakdowns are, what the permitting requirements are and what construction timelines would look like, according to Roaring Fork Safe Passages Director Cecily DeAngelo.
A bill to fund Colorado wildlife crossings clears first hurdles
A bill that would see Colorado drivers help fund wildlife crossing infrastructure has passed through its initial committee hearings. It passed with minor changes to help county clerks through the burdens of implementation and encourage in-state contractors to be tapped for construction.
Senate Bill 141 would add an optional $5 fee to Coloradans’ annual vehicle registration. The money would go into a Collision Reduction Fund, overseen by the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, to fund wildlife crossing infrastructure such as overpasses, underpasses, and wildlife fencing in high-risk areas.
What We Don’t See
I see the cubs who get hit, wandering up and down the highway after their mother was hit in front of them, confused and don’t know where to go. I can go on and on about what we see but you and the rest of the public likely don’t, but I won't. I’m not trying to traumatize anyone; I’m trying to help the rest of the public understand that what they see is a fraction of what is going on. I guarantee you I’m more aware of how brutal nature can be than anyone on this board, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take action to limit these incidents when human interaction is the cause of suffering.
Wilz: Build the crossings
I support Roaring Fork Safe Passages and encourage our local and state leadership, agencies and private donors to help move this from concept to construction.
This is a rare kind of project that is simultaneously humane, fiscally responsible and operationally smart.
If we care about safety, stewardship and the long-term integrity of this valley, I believe we should build the crossings.
Lisman: Wildlife passages are needed
A huge, fantastic buck once jumped in front my car unexpectedly and died, not immediately. The car was a total loss and got injured. I was in pain and in physical therapy for months. There are so many other people that went through this.
Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Motor Vehicle Collisions and Protect Colorado's Wildlife Introduced in Senate
Colorado lawmakers Senator Dylan Roberts (D, SD-8), Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson (R, SD-6), Speaker Julie McCluskie (D, HD-13), and Representative Rick Taggart (R, HD-55) today introduced the Wildlife Collision Prevention Act (SB26-141), a crucial measure to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions across the state.
VandeBoom: ‘We must share it with our wildlife’
Wildlife and humans in Pitkin County do not live in a vacuum from one another. On the contrary, we are a multi-species community, a political theory developed by Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, largely discussed in their work “Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights.” Ignoring or denying that reality serves neither humans nor non-human animals that reside in this county.
The wildlife here is sentient, just like we humans are. While their inner lives, herd lives, communication methods and relationships look and are different from ours, it doesn’t negate their biological sentience. Nor does that difference exclude them from being members of our community, with whom we share this land.
Pitkin County expenditure to aid wildlife a no-brainer
Some Pitkin County commissioners support these efforts, but a few others seem to be dragging their feet and quibbling over a couple hundred thousand dollars to support an engineering feasibility study. In a county with a multibillion-dollar economy whose attractions largely depend on wildlife and open space, investing a relatively small sum to back this initiative seems like a no-brainer. To put this in perspective, the Pitkin County budget for 2026 is north of $300 million.
Safe passages save money and lives
We have the science, the community support, and the proven models. In a recent community survey of 730 respondents, 95% expressed support for wildlife crossing structures and 85% believe it will improve their quality of life in the valley, reflecting strong, nonpartisan support. Statewide, a 2024 Colorado College survey found 87% of Coloradans support wildlife crossings. We have matching funds in hand, CDOT partnerships, and a project that aligns directly with the values in the county’s Vision 2050 goals for environmental stewardship and safety. Support from the BOCC for the Open Space and Trails’ thoughtful recommendation in December 2025 to fund efforts to protect wildlife not only demonstrates a continued commitment to wildlife but will serve as a catalyst for future funding from other sources.
Help Us Cross the Finish Line — Tell the BOCC You Support Wildlife Crossings
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community, we met our $200,000 challenge match. Now we are headed before the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to seek approval of the $200,000 already recommended by the Pitkin County Open Space & Trails Board — bringing the total to $400,000 for engineering feasibility work for wildlife crossings at Sky Mountain and Brush Creek along Highway 82.
The BOCC needs to hear from you. A personal letter or a few words of public comment can make a real difference. Here's how to help.
Wildlife crossings gain traction upvalley
“We're super lucky,” said Cecily DeAngelo, executive director of Roaring Fork Safe Passages. “We live in a state that's an advocate of this work. We are in a country that's starting to actually fund this in a bipartisan way, and I think that Pitkin County is moving in the right direction.”
VIDEO: Colorado Has a Chance to Save Lives and Money with More Wildlife Crossings
Every year in Colorado, wildlife-vehicle collisions change lives in an instant. These crashes injure drivers and passengers, devastate families, and take a heavy toll on wildlife and communities. But they are preventable, and we know what works: wildlife crossings.
The video below shares the powerful stories of three Coloradans whose lives were forever altered by crashes with wildlife.
Roaring Fork Safe Passages discusses plans with Aspen
Thirty percent of recent vehicle crashes in the Roaring Fork Valley were due to wildlife-vehicle collisions, resulting in an estimated $5.2 million of damage.
That’s according to 2012 to 2021 data presented in Monday’s Aspen City Council Work Session by Roaring Fork Safe Passages, a local nonprofit committed to mitigating wildlife-vehicle collision risk through infrastructure projects on Colorado Highways 82 and 133.
“There’s consequences for drivers,” Julia Kintsch, senior ecologist at Denver’s ECO-Resolutions who was contracted by Roaring Fork Safe Passages, said of the impact of wildlife collisions. “There’s consequences for wildlife mortality and wildlife connectivity.”
We Were Lucky. The Deer Wasn't.
On Friday May 5, driving down valley on 82, on the final leg of a long travel day coming home from vacation, I was the latest RFV resident to hit an animal on 82. It was bitterly cold, a full moon, and the roads were a little slippery. Traffic was moving slow, but the car in front of me suddenly slammed on its brakes and swerved off the road to avoid the deer. I had no time to react and a car next to me. There was no choice but to slam on my brakes and hit the deer.
Take Action: Support Federal Wildlife Crossings Legislation
KEY MESSAGING POINTS AND DRAFTED TEMPLATE LETTER TO REP. HURD FOR NEW WILDLIFE CROSSINGS PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT
Colorado Can Build a Safer Path for Wildlife and Drivers Alike
A few years back, I hit an elk at night near the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport. My car was totaled. Miraculously, I was OK — but not everyone is that lucky. The collision shook me. And what lingers is the question of who else could have been hurt if I hadn’t been driving alone? Even worse is knowing that it could have been prevented.
Officials Must Take Action
Last spring I had an experience on my commute home from work on Highway 82 (between the airport and Brush Creek Road) that could easily have ended in tragedy. While driving home in the dark, an elk ran into the road, and before I even had time to react, it slammer into my car.
Seven Animals, Five Hours, 20 Miles
One morning early this week, as I turned onto Highway 133 toward Carbondale, I watched a young buck weave through traffic. Minutes later, driving toward Aspen, I passed a freshly killed elk calf and a deer near Aspen Village, an abandoned SUV with a crushed front end nearby. On my return trip, I witnessed a large buck struck by a vehicle near Red Hill, left alive but paralyzed as cars swerved around him on the blind curve. In less than five hours, on a 20-mile stretch of road, I encountered seven dead or dying animals.