How did the elk cross the road? Safely! That’s thanks to newly erected fencing that funnels elk, deer and other wildlife underneath a busy highway. It happened along Highway 97 in western Oregon near Gilchrist.
“Ideally, the deer and elk approach the fence and then they’ll go right or left and wander until they hit one of the under crossings and they use those to get under the highway,” Cidney Bowman, Oregon Department of Transportation wildlife passage coordinator, told Central Oregon Daily News.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation provided funding along with the Department of Interior and a group of other hunting and wildlife organizations.
“This is a win for elk in west-central Oregon,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with like-minded organizations and salute RMEF volunteers for their part in raising funds to be put back on the ground to benefit this project.”
Go here to watch a TV report about the fencing project.
(Photo source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)