Summit County Safe Passages

08/28/2026

The mountains are about to get a lot louder.

As late summer gives way to fall, bull elk begin preparing for the rut—and soon, their unmistakable bugles will echo across Colorado's high country.

But here's the strange part: an elk bugle isn't produced quite the way you might expect. Bulls create that extraordinarily high-pitched sound using a combination of their vocal cords and movements of the lips and nostrils, allowing an animal that can weigh more than 700 pounds to produce a call that sounds almost otherworldly.

Consider this your warning: bugling season is coming.

08/26/2026

Such exciting news in the world!

08/21/2026

Canada lynx have some seriously oversized paws—and that's exactly the point.

Their large, furry feet spread their weight across the snow, working almost like built-in snowshoes. That gives lynx an advantage when moving through the deep, soft snow of high-elevation forests.

Those enormous paws might look a little excessive in August, but come winter, they're one of the lynx's greatest superpowers.

08/20/2026

10,000 trips across the highway—and not a single traffic jam.
Washington's I-90 wildlife overpass at Snoqualmie Pass just recorded its 10,000th successful wildlife crossing. And that's only one piece of the story: combined with nearby undercrossings, the structures have recorded nearly 40,000 wildlife crossings since 2014.

The network is still growing. Washington plans to add another 15 undercrossings and one overcrossing along the pass, creating even more opportunities for wildlife to move safely across I-90.

That's a milestone worth celebrating.

https://www.khq.com/news/snoqualmie-pass-wildlife-crossings-hit-10-000-on-i-90-bridge/article_026dff42-ec5d-4ea2-9262-a947ef800a51.html

Wildlife crossings at Snoqualmie Pass reached a new milestone as the Washington State Department of Transportation reported 10,000 successful crossings on the I-90 wildlife bridge.

08/18/2026

The votes are in. The yearbook has been signed. It's time for the Unofficial Summit County Wildlife Superlatives.

Most Likely to Stop Traffic: Moose
Most Dramatic: Elk
Most Likely to Judge You From the Woods: Bobcat
Best Hide-and-Seek Player: Lynx
Biggest Snack Enthusiast: Black Bear
Most Likely to Know You're There Before You Know It's There: Mountain Lion

Now it's your turn. What superlative—and which Summit County animal—did we miss?

08/14/2026

For black bears, late summer is basically an eating competition with the calendar.

As fall approaches, bears enter hyperphagia—a period of intense eating when they can spend much of their day searching for calorie-rich foods and dramatically increase their food intake as they prepare for winter.

Berries, nuts, insects and other natural foods are all on the menu. And with a sense of smell far more powerful than ours, bears are very good at finding their next meal.

Consider this your reminder to keep the trash secured. A hungry bear is an excellent detective.

08/12/2026

Costa Rica is taking wildlife crossings from a conservation tool to a requirement of infrastructure planning.

Lawmakers unanimously approved new legislation requiring wildlife protection measures when scientific studies show that a public road disrupts animal movement or divides habitat. And in a country home to everything from sloths and monkeys to terrestrial wildlife, "crossing" can mean a lot of things: tunnels, culverts, fencing, bridges and even elevated ropes through the canopy.

The law would also require wildlife needs to be considered early in the planning and budgeting process—not added as an afterthought once construction is underway.

It's a fascinating example of what happens when wildlife connectivity becomes part of how a country plans infrastructure from the start.

https://ticotimes.net/2026/08/05/costa-rica-wildlife-crossings-law

Costa Rica lawmakers unanimously approved a bill requiring wildlife crossings in new and existing road projects to reduce animal deaths.

08/10/2026

Colorado is proving that wildlife crossings work.

Projects like the Highway 9 crossings and the Greenland Wildlife Overpass are already reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions while helping reconnect important habitat. They're showing what's possible when transportation agencies, wildlife experts, communities, and supporters come together around a shared goal.

At Summit County Safe Passages, we're working to make East Vail Pass the next Colorado success story. Every step forward—from engineering and planning to fundraising and partnerships—brings us closer to making one of Colorado's most important wildlife corridors safer for both animals and people.

If you believe in a future with safer roads and healthier wildlife populations, we'd love to have your support. Whether you make a donation, share our mission with a friend, or follow our progress, you're helping move this project forward.

Together, we can build what's next. Support us today at https://www.coloradogives.org/story/Scsp

08/07/2026

Moose may be the largest members of the deer family, but they're also surprisingly strong swimmers.

They can swim for several miles at a time and even dive underwater to feed on aquatic plants, using powerful legs to propel themselves through lakes and ponds.

If you spot a moose near water this time of year, there's a good chance it's doing more than cooling off—it's stopping for lunch.

08/05/2026

Wildlife crossings are about more than helping animals get across one road—they're about reconnecting entire landscapes.

A recent feature explores efforts to create a continuous wildlife corridor through the Rocky Mountains, linking habitats across multiple states and provinces. Wildlife crossings are one important piece of that vision, helping animals move safely through areas where highways have divided long-established migration routes.

For wide-ranging species like elk, mule deer, bears, and mountain lions, staying connected to seasonal habitat is essential for healthy populations. Every crossing built is another step toward reconnecting the landscape.

https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/how-to-stitch-a-massive-wildlife-corridor-through-the-rocky-mountains/

An ambitious conservation effort aims to reconnect fragmented habitats across the Rocky Mountains, helping wildlife move and thrive safely.