Along United States Highway 287 (US 287) and Montana Highway 87 (MT 87), wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) can create a public safety risk and a habitat connectivity issue, which has generated some public concern.

evaluating wildlife study area image

Prior to this project, the patterns and effects of WVCs and wildlife movements across this highway corridor had not been studied. The overall objective of this project was to determine the effect of the major highways in the Madison Valley on wildlife mortality and movement patterns. The Madison Valley is situated in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and plays a key role in connecting this ecologically intact ecosystem to other intact areas of the Central Rockies, particularly the wildlands of central Idaho and the Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem (SBE).

Final Report
Project Summary
Wildlife Crossing Resources Website