An action plan is coming together in Minnesota to improve tracking of vehicle collisions with wildlife. Project leaders call on the public to protect various species, motorists and car owners' wallets.
May 22-29 has been dubbed Wildlife Casualty Count Week of Action for all areas of the state.
Katelynn Rolfes, a conservation advocate with the group Environment Minnesota, pointed to data showing that each year, between 1 million and 2 million large animals are struck by cars on U.S. roadways. She said those collisions contributed to a 39% wildlife population loss in recent decades.
"Cars and roads are not the only problem with this decline, of course," she said, "but they're certainly not helping."
Rolfes said corridors that make it safer for turtles, deer and other animals to cross busy highways are proven to reduce these collisions. Her group is working with the University of Minnesota to close data gaps on where all these incidents are occurring in hopes that spurs calls for building safe crossways.
On the Casualty Count Week's webpage, Minnesotans can find an app where they're able to log entries of deceased or injured animals.
Driver safety is another key factor these partners want to address, and they say the frequency of collisions takes an economic toll.
Ron Moen, a biologist at the University of Minnesota-Duluth's Natural Resources Research Institute, has looked into underreported instances of deer-vehicle collisions around the state. In 2023, he said, there was an estimated price tag of $25 million, stressing that's just for crashes reported to authorities.
"That's dwarfed by the unreported DVCs, which the state insurance companies keep track of," he said. "They're up at about $250 million in cost, so it's not inconsequential."
In 2023, Minnesota launched the Highways for Habitat program, which called for improved management of migration corridors, with an emphasis on increased vegetation. Conservation advocates this spring were calling on state lawmakers to expand the scope of the program. Various local governments have taken their own steps to enhance crossings.
