Initiative to Build Wildlife Crossings Reaches Milestone

A local coalition working to construct wildlife crossings over Highway 20 is gaining momentum after a recent award of $688,800 from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, bringing its total funding to just over $1 million.

The newly awarded funding, which helped the coalition reach a critical fundraising milestone, will allow the initiative to apply for federal matching funds for phase two of the project. The second phase of the project will include the engineering and design of four crossing structures between Suttle Lake and Bend.

The Bend to Suttle Lake Wildlife Passage Initiative is a group of state and federal agencies, nonprofits, landowners and institutions attempting to restore habitat connectivity and address a “dangerous situation,” through the construction of strategically located wildlife crossings.

The stretch of highway between Suttle Lake and Bend sees the highest density of deer and elk wildlife-vehicle collisions in the state, according to a press release from local organization, Central Oregon LandWatch, which manages the project and coalition in partnership with the Oregon Wildlife Foundation.

Each year, 350 to 600 mule deer and elk are killed by vehicle strikes, according to LandWatch, as Highway 20 bisects a major migratory corridor for these animals.

The group, which was formed in 2022, completed a feasibility study in July 2024 identifying eleven potential locations for wildlife crossing structures between Bend and Suttle Lake. The group then narrowed that down to four sites for construction, based on wildlife and vehicle collision densities, value to migrating wildlife and proximity to publicly owned lands and other crossings.

“Highway 20 is a formidable barrier for wildlife. Animals trying to cross the highway risk injury or death, and this risk is increasing as more people choose to live and recreate in Central Oregon. A wide diversity of species, large and small, need to cross Highway 20 to access food, water, shelter, and other resources,” Rachel Wheat, wildlife connectivity coordinator with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, wrote in a press release.

The newest grant from the OWEB accompanies other key grants from organizations such as Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Oregon Wildlife Foundation and the Oregon Hunters Association, to help move the project along.

“At the heart of the Bend to Suttle Lake Wildlife Passage Initiative is the broad partnership that has coalesced around the shared goal of improving wildlife passage and motorist safety along these 35 miles of Highway 20 here in Central Oregon, said Jeremy Austin, Wild Lands & Waters Program Director at Central Oregon LandWatch.

“From all the coalition partners, we are extremely grateful that this shared goal has resonated with funders across the state; their support is crucial to sustaining the incredible momentum of the initiative.”