Safe Passage

The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project

wildlife crossings

Fletcher students, Safe Passage partners met with N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper June 2 to advocate for wildlife crossings in the state

On June 2, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper met with student supporters, representatives, and partners of the Safe Passage Fund Coalition in a roundtable discussion about the importance of wildlife crossings in the state. 

Three fifth grade students from FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher delivered letters to the governor advocating for wildlife safety along North Carolina’s highways.

Held at the Western Office of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the meeting was also attended by representatives from National Parks Conservation Association, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The Conservation Fund, N.C. Wildlife Federation and Wildlands Network — as well as N.C. Wildlife Resources Commissioner Brad Stanback, Secretary Reid Wilson of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and other key figures in the wildlife-crossing work.

Safe Passage facilitator Jeff Hunter began the meeting by introducing the coalition and its mission, then turned the spotlight over to the group’s scientists and researchers, who presented the data that’s been collected and explained how that data will be used to drive decisions about future wildlife crossing locations. 

From left to right: Hugh Irwin of The Wilderness Society; Bill Holman of The Conservation Fund; Brad Stanback of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission; Christine Laporte of Wildlands Network; Tanya Prater from FernLeaf Community Charter School faculty; Ben Prater of Defenders of Wildlife; Nikki Robinson of Wildlands Network; Alexis Hinchliffe of FernLeaf Community Charter School faculty; Joy Mast, Elsa Rule and Cailee Montague, students of FernLeaf Community Charter School; Governor Roy Cooper; Hanni Muerdter of Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; Liz Hillard of Wildlands Network; Jeff Hunter of National Parks Conservation Association; Secretary Reid Wilson of N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources; Aurora “Rory” Wynne, intern of National Parks Conservation Association; Manley Fuller of N.C. Wildlife Federation; Steven Dobey of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Emma DuFort of Great Smoky Mountains Association; Steve Goodman of National Parks Conservation Association. Photos by Jerry Greer, courtesy National Parks Conservation Association.

The three students then presented letters from their class, which were drafted during a project-based learning module about the impact of roadways on wildlife and how wildlife crossings can keep both people and animals safe. Over the course of the lesson module, hosted by Defenders of Wildlife and the Safe Passage Fund Coalition, students spent time reading “A Search for Safe Passage,” published by Great Smoky Mountains Association, and enjoyed a field trip to the Pigeon River Gorge to see firsthand how the Safe Passage Fund Coalition is working to make this section of Interstate 40 safer. 

“‘A Search for Safe Passage’ was written to engage the next generation — those who may inherit this work in the next 15-20 years — in environmental advocacy.”

— Emma DuFort, illustrator of “A Search for Safe Passage,” who spoke about the book and its message for young people at the June 2 meeting

They also learned the basics of advocacy and how to use social media to share important messages with the world. As part of their advocacy efforts, many of the students wrote letters to the governor asking for support for wildlife crossings locally and across North Carolina.

Following this presentation, the group continued engaging Gov. Cooper in thoughtful discussion, exploring the science behind wildlife crossings and examining the potential for crossings in the state. The group also emphasized that North Carolina could become a leader for this type of work in the Eastern United States, elevating the state’s profile on a national level by improving safety for travelers through progressive, science-driven crossing designs — and the governor voiced his enthusiastic support.

The students present their letters, and those from classmates, to Gov. Cooper.
NPCA’s Steve Goodman emphasizes to Gov. Cooper the evidence-based approach to this work.
NPCA’s Jeff Hunter greets FernLeaf Charter school students and faculty.
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commissioner Brad Stanback speaks to Gov. Cooper about Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project.

Science Blog: Not just about the bears – Researchers consider mesocarnivore needs in Safe Passage study

By Steve Goodman, Volgenau Wildlife Research Fellow with National Parks Conservation Association & Co-research Lead for the Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Connectivity Study

Though the target species of our Safe Passage research are black bear, elk and white-tailed deer — selected because they are relatively easy to monitor and are of the highest concern from a driver safety perspective — they’re not the only animals we’ve studied through this project.

We’ve also collected data on mesocarnivores, which are small to mid-sized mammals whose diets are mostly comprised of other animals, and we are assessing their needs for safe passage under Interstate 40 as well. Mesocarnivores in our study area include bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, long-tailed weasels, otters, raccoons, red foxes and Eastern spotted skunks.

While improving safe passage for larger mammals should, in general, benefit smaller critters too, several mesocarnivores have very specific requirements that we also must consider when planning new structures or improving existing ones.

We also always work on increasing our understanding of the needs of even smaller animals — like frogs, salamanders and snakes — but that is for a future blog.

Through wildlife camera research in the Pigeon River Gorge, Safe Passage researchers have observed these mesocarnivore species (and more), just within the forested I-40 right-of-way.

Event: Grateful Dead stream + benefit for Safe Passage, May 25

Just one day shy of the concert’s 50th anniversary, join Safe Passage in grooving to the Grateful Dead’s scintillating London performance from May 26, 1972, streaming in its entirety at Homeplace Beer Co. in Burnsville. Jeff Hunter from National Parks Conservation Association will emcee the event; the evening will also raise awareness and funds for Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project.
Come out and meet some of the local conservationists working to improve wildlife’s ability to safely cross I-40 near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A good time is guaranteed for all!

Wildlands Network’s Nikki Robinson reflects on Safe Passage TEDx Talk

By Nikki Robinson, North Carolina Project Manager, Wildlands Network

“How do you feel about roadkill?”

I asked this question countless times over the last few months while rehearsing my TEDx talk in front of friends and family. It was usually answered with a blank stare, and sometimes even a chuckle. 

Many didn’t know how to respond. It’s not something they’ve considered, although all agreed it’s a bad thing. I kept asking.

Almost everyone has a personal anecdote of hitting an animal while in the car, or at least experiencing a close call. With larger animals, these incidents include unfortunate collision-related costs and injuries. So why are we not talking about this more?

Nikki Robinson was one of nine speakers at the 2022 TEDx Asheville event, which carried a fitting theme of Building Bridges; Opening Doors. Robinson — who manages conservation projects, coalitions, and initiatives that Wildlands Network is pursuing in North Carolina — gave a presentation about how to stop roadkill in the state.

Reducing roadkill is a win for human safety, a win for economics, and a win for the environment. And once that message becomes clear, people tend to open up about how they feel—and are interested in finding solutions to prevent it.

Recently, new federal funding opportunities for projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnect natural landscapes were announced, and conservation groups are collaborating with state agencies to compete for these grants. We’re taking a positive step in the right direction to consider our long lasting impacts on the environment. Hopefully, that means lots of wildlife crossings will be added to our existing 4 million miles of roads across the country.

In the meantime, the next time you take a cruise, slow down—and watch for wildlife! 

(It takes some time and practice to program these thoughts into your brain while driving. I was reminded to practice what I preach a few weeks ago traveling from Asheville to Boone, when a bobcat ran out in front of me on HWY US 221. The irony of almost causing a wildlife-vehicle collision while driving back from giving a speech on reducing roadkill was sickening. Luckily, both the bobcat and I escaped the encounter unscathed.)

In the News: Smoky Mountain Living interviews Safe Passage’s Jeff Hunter

In February 2022, Smoky Mountain Living magazine published “A Conversation With the Smokies’ Wildlife Crossing Guard,” an interview with Safe Passage facilitator and National Parks Conservation Association senior program manager Jeff Hunter.

In the article, Hunter spoke with reporter Holly Kays on wildlife crossings in the Smokies, as well as the work of Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project.

“Interstate 40 opened in the gorge in 1968, and at that time the bear population was probably a quarter of what it is today — if not less — and there were no elk on the landscape,” Hunter said in the interview. “Today we have a growing bear population and a growing elk population that’s on both sides of the highway.”

Hunter went on to describe the increase in mortality rates along this stretch of interstate, as well as the work being done to mitigate this increase, then added: “The park is big, but wildlife doesn’t recognize the boundaries. So we have to work outside the boundaries if we’re going to make an impact.”

To read the full interview in Smoky Mountain Living, click here.

Safe Passage facilitator Jeff Hunter looks back on five years of progress since coalition’s beginnings

Jeff Hunter deploys a wildlife camera just outside the boundaries of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2017.

This week marks five years since the first meeting of stakeholders to discuss what has evolved into Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project. In early February 2017, more than 20 representatives from federal, state and nongovernmental organizations gathered in the Asheville office of Defenders of Wildlife to discuss elk and their habitat selection preferences. In translation: As elk expand into new territory, what types of habitat are they likely to move into?

All this was being driven by the Pisgah National Forest’s 12-Mile Project, which among other things, seeks to expand wildlife habitat in the Pigeon River Gorge. Several of us — including Hugh Irwin from The Wilderness Society and Kim DeLozier, then of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation — were concerned that elk could wind up in the highway if we didn’t consider their response to proposed logging in the area.

A rich and impassioned conversation went back and forth, with representatives from agencies like the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service (Pisgah National Forest), Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission offering their thoughts. Conversation over lunch was especially productive. As that initial meeting concluded, we agreed to explore the issue of wildlife-vehicle collisions on Interstate 40 together.

That led to a September 2017 meeting in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, where road ecologist Tony Clevenger, PhD, came to speak with the group and attend a field trip. Clevenger made it clear that we needed to conduct research to understand the extent of the problem.

Fast forward to October 2018, and we were back in Maggie Valley attending a two-day Wildlife Crossing Workshop facilitated by the Federal Highways Administration.

Just a couple months later, Wildlands Network and National Parks Conservation Association began an extensive two-year research project along a 28-mile stretch of I-40.

So, here we are in February 2022. The results of our research are in the final stages of analysis. In March 2022, stakeholders will once again gather to learn about the results and start to prioritize focal areas within our study area.

An elk is caught on camera passing through the Pigeon River Gorge. The migration of elk into new territory, including areas around Interstate 40, is what prompted the very first meeting of what would later become Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project.

“Several of us were concerned that elk could wind up in the highway if we didn’t consider their response to proposed logging in the area.”

Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge cuts through the habitat of Smokies wildlife, including elk and black bears.

Yes, it’s an exciting time for wildlife — as we’re on the cusp of addressing what seemed like an intractable issue just five years ago!

I hope you’ll consider taking the Safe Passage pledge and perhaps donate to the Safe Passage Fund. Together, we can and will make a difference.

Jeff Hunter is a Senior Program manager with National Parks Conservation Association. He serves as the facilitator of the Safe Passage: I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project.