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.
We Need to Get Going on Hwy 92 Wildlife Crossings
Over the last two weeks I have counted eight dead elk or deer along Highway 82 between Snowmass Canyon and the Aspen airport — it is heartbreaking. This means there are at least eight people who have been traumatized with wrecked vehicles and I hope no physical injuries.
Let’s Protect Wildlife With Safe Crossings
In his guest commentary in support of wildlife crossings, specifically the local nonprofit Roaring Fork Safe Passages, Tom Cardamone noted “nature still has half here, and we residents bear some ethical responsibility to keep it that way.”
I passionately agree, this time, from the heart. Wildlife crossings began in France in the 1950s. They then took off in the Netherlands, which built more than 600 crossings. The Dutch built the world’s longest animal crossing, more than half a mile long. In the United States, the idea has taken longer to catch on. Wildlife crossings began here less than 20 years ago. But we have a chance to catch up.
Wildlife Crossings Make Economic and Ethical Sense
Wildlife crossings over and under highways save lives, are cost effective and enhance the vitality and ecological functioning of the large landscapes they connect. These crossings require community engagement and creative strategies to get them done.
Aspen Highway Data Shows Wildlife Cause Majority of Incidents
On a six-mile stretch of Highway 82 extending from the Sinclair gas station and the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport toward town, there were a total of 410 traffic accidents reported to the police between 2013 and 2024.
More than half of those incidents — 224 to be exact — were wildlife-vehicle collisions, according to data from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The RFV’s Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Problem Deemed Solvable
Standing in a grassy field across from the Brush Creek Park and Ride, Cecily DeAngelo motioned toward the nearby shale bluffs rising above Highway 82.
Over the sound of speeding cars and the occasional plane overhead, she explained where a wildlife bridge could be built to guide animals up and over the busy road.
Aspen Wildlife Crossing Proposal Addresses Critical Valley Problem
Highway 82 has created a divide in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The presence of the four-lane highway between critical pieces of habitat for multiple species not only presents a threat to ungulate populations such as deer, elk, moose, and other animals, but also a threat to public safety, as well.
Safe Passages Recommends Projects Near Airport
With high-dollar priorities identified in its mission to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions, the organization Roaring Fork Safe Passages is looking for public feedback on underpass and overpass plans.
The coalition’s latest report, “State Highway 82 Wildlife Mitigation Strategy: Airport to Aspen Village,” drills into mitigation strategies in the high-priority stretch of Highway 82, identified in earlier studies as the best stretch of regional highways to invest in terrain mapping and infrastructure feasibility. It runs from milepost 32.5 to 37.3.
Roaring Fork Safe Passages Releases Mitigation Plans for Wildlife Crossings
To address the persistent and dangerous issue of wildlife-vehicle collisions along State Highway 82, a new mitigation strategy released in June outlines a plan to build a series of wildlife crossings between Aspen Village and the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport.
The effort is being led by Roaring Fork Safe Passages, in coordination with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Pitkin County, and the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Brush Creek Corridor Considered ‘High Conflict Zone’ for Wildlife
The Brush Creek corridor accounts for more than half of all reported wildlife collisions in the upper Roaring Fork Valley.
Between 2014 and 2023, the six-mile stretch saw 337 wildlife-related crashes, including 116 elk, 195 mule deer, and 14 black bears.
Because of this, the Wildlife Crossings Across America road trip made a purposeful stop in Aspen on Friday, May 16, to spotlight one of Colorado’s most hazardous corridors for wildlife-vehicle conflicts.
Why Highway 82 Needs Wildlife Crossings: Ten Inches Between Life and Death
None of these practices however were enough to prevent what is probably the closest call I have ever had to meeting my maker on the evening of April 11th. I was nearing the airport and just coming out of the shale bluffs section, and certainly not speeding. (The Subaru does not go very fast). I was in the left lane, about 5 feet from the cement dividers. My Subaru is not very tall compared to many cars, and my headlights were below the height of the cement dividers essentially meaning I could not see over the top of them, nor what might be in the down valley lanes heading my way.
Roaring Fork Safe Passages Hosts a Weekend of Inspiration, Education on Wildlife Crossings
Roaring Fork Safe Passages hosted its Wildlife Connectivity Events over the weekend.
The group, which is helping to reduce vehicle wildlife collisions in the Roaring Fork Valley, organized two events in Aspen, which featured prominent experts aiming to inspire local efforts to protect habitats within the Roaring Fork Valley.
“This was a weekend of inspiration and education,” said Roaring Fork Safe Passages Director Cecily DeAngelo. “We are hopeful this will show the public our path forward for mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions.”
Nonprofit Gears Up for Drone Studies on Hwy 82
A local nonprofit is gearing up to use drones and other technology to map a stretch of Highway 82 to best understand wildlife crossing options.
Roaring Fork Safe Passages (RFSP) is in the second stage of its work to plan infrastructure to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions in the Roaring Fork Valley. An initial prioritization study identified a stretch of Highway 82 from the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport to the Woody Creek area as the best place to invest in terrain mapping and infrastructure feasibility. It runs from milepost 32.5 to 37.3.
Momentum Builds for Wildlife Crossings in Roaring Fork Valley
From a bird’s eye view, it’s easy to see how the landscape is divided between built and natural environments.
It was from this vantage point on an early morning flight over the Roaring Fork Valley that Julia Kintsch showed a group of elected officials and journalists the places where Roaring Fork Safe Passages hopes to bridge connections for the valley’s wildlife to move safely through the area.
“This whole valley was once winter range for animals,” she said. “Now, people also live here in towns and fields, and all the things we do here … you have all these things that are drawing animals into this area, and you have the highway here. So that’s why we see the conflict.”
To Protect Local Wildlife, Take Action Immediately
As responsible stewards of the environment, we must advocate for policies that promote coexistence and protect our natural heritage. I urge our community leaders to prioritize implementing wildlife-friendly infrastructure and ensure that safe passage for wildlife remains a top priority in our planning and development decisions.