Courtesy photo
“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens wrote this, saying that we live in the light and also in darkness; in hope and in despair. Now many in the Roaring Fork Valley feel the darkness. I propose that we direct our focus and energies to what brought or has kept us here in this place: The physical beauty of our surroundings.
However, there is a darkness on our roads that we have accepted as part of our modern world. Highway 82 used to be named Killer 82. With only two lanes, in the icy winter, it was a white-knuckle experience that you wanted to avoid if all possible.
Now with our modern four-lane, we still have Killer 82. It is decimating our deer and elk herds. They can no longer migrate safely where they have historically gone. This has also affected their health and reproductive success. We need to create new ways for wildlife to move safely in our valley.
Last year, The Colorado Department of Transportation collected over 7,000 off-road carcasses in Colorado. Actual numbers are probably closer to at least 20,000. Two to four times more collisions with wildlife are never recorded. The animal is hit but experiences a slow and painful death away from the road.
Enter Safe Passages, a non-profit that addresses this problem. We want to do more than just create overpasses and tunnels. Although these are now existing and proving highly successful, we want to protect wildlife corridors where possible, conserve land, and habitats.
From a human species perspective, it is estimated that in the Roaring Fork Valley 30% of car crashes are wildlife-vehicle collisions. More deer are killed by cars than by hunters. Is this simply the risk we take for not living in the Denver Metro area? Or is this a problem that we can address and tackle together as a community?
The saying goes, “Think globally and act locally.” It is time to think and act locally on this issue. We have a local problem that can be and needs to be addressed and solved. It won’t be easy, and it will take time, effort, and money. It is worth doing.
One solution is overpasses and tunnels. Do they work? State Highway 9 in central Colorado placed an overpass in 2016. Over the next five years, cameras captured it being used more than 112,000 times. This was an average of over sixty times a day. Wildlife-vehicle collisions were reduced by 92%.
Our Highway 82 has been identified as one of the most dangerous roads on the Western Slope. Safe Passages have identified six locations — five in the Roaring Fork Valley and one in the Crystal Valley — where wildlife want to move but can’t safely.
We can make it safer for us, as well. The annual cost to vehicle damage is estimated at $5.2 million, not even looking at human injury cost and human fatality.
What can we do as Roaring Fork residents? First, write a letter to city of Aspen, Pitkin County commissioners, town of Basalt, and Eagle County commissioners expressing your gratitude for their initial and continued support. Also, please write letters to Garfield County commissioners, the town of Carbondale, and the city of Glenwood Springs asking them to join in our valley-wide effort.
Secondly, reach out to Roaring Fork Safe Passages and learn more. Donate to this 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by state and federal law. Yes, mail a check to Roaring Fork Safe Passages at PO Box 4748 Basalt, CO 81621. Any amount is appreciated. To learn more, reach out to roaringforksafepassages.org
Let’s keep the light shining on our valley and the wonders they share.
Mark Howard is an advocate for Roaring Fork Safe Passages.