Exploring options to improve traveler safety and maintain wildlife movement in a gateway to Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park’s 2.2 million acres provide critical habitat for the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. But this habitat doesn’t stop at the park borders.
Herds of elk, deer and pronghorn move in and out of Yellowstone to access seasonal ranges, and predators like wolves and grizzly bears travel great distances. These species, along with bighorn sheep, wolverines, and others, move throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—a richly biodiverse area composed of a patchwork of public and private lands.
However, directly northwest of the park, in Montana, this region is increasingly affected by growing traffic on roads and new subdivisions. As the area’s economy has expanded, so has the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
The US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment addresses this challenge by improving knowledge of wildlife movement and road safety along roads that connect Yellowstone National Park to the growing Montana population centers of Bozeman and Big Sky.
Goals of the Assessment:
- Identify areas with high levels of wildlife-vehicle collisions and those that are important to maintain wildlife movement
- Inform and support communities and agencies in decision-making
- Recommend measures to improve road safety as well as habitat connectivity for both land and aquatic species
The Assessment report and Key Findings describe 11 priority sites and recommendations to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnect habitat along this gateway to Yellowstone.
For More Information:
Full Report: View the full report on the US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment (164 pages).
Data Portal & ROaDS tool: An accompanying data website allows citizen scientists to record sightings of live and roadkilled animals via a mobile app and describe important wildlife movement areas along the US-191 and Lone Mountain Trail road corridors.
Flyer: Read a 2-page description of the Assessment.
Update – Summer 2024:
The first and second highest-ranked priority sites in the Assessment are the Gallatin Gateway to Spanish Creek and the north of Big Sky entrance areas (the latter tied for second with a site surrounding Porcupine Creek just south of Big Sky). Now that priority sites have been identified, the next step is an engineering feasibility study to determine the exact location, design, constructability and cost of potential wildlife accommodations.
On June 6, the Big Sky Resort Area District allocated $179,000 to study the site north of the Big Sky entrance. An engineering firm hired by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation is examining wildlife overpasses, bridge retrofits, and associated accommodations—including fencing to funnel wildlife to suitable structures—at this area and the “mouth of the canyon” within the Gallatin Gateway to Spanish Creek priority area.
The $350-million, federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program is accepting applications through mid-2025, and the feasibility study will provide information for an anticipated application. However, to unlock federal funds that would cover 80% of project costs, 20% must be secured by private or other non-federal funding. Thanks to the bold and inspiring generosity of numerous community organizations, business leaders, and individuals, the Center is making significant strides toward securing the necessary non-federal match to support work on the Gallatin Gateway site. This early support, and the goodwill of local communities, is creating significant momentum as the Center looks to the campaign’s next phase, focused on funding work on the Big Sky entrance and Porcupine Creek sites.
Let’s Keep in Touch!
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Community Information Sessions:
In October and November 2023, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation hosted a series of Community Information Sessions in Big Sky, Gallatin Gateway, and West Yellowstone, Montana. At each event, Center staff members presented key findings of the Assessment (see video below from the Big Sky session), including priority sites for mitigation, and responded to questions from community members. Representatives of the Montana Department of Transportation and Gallatin County also participated. Center staff are continuing to work with agency representatives and community members to further develop potential wildlife accommodation measures in 2024.
The Assessment is a joint project of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute.
With Sincere Thanks
Big Sky Resort Area District
Moonlight Community Foundation
The Volgenau Foundation
Yellowstone Club Community Foundation
The above funders, along with:
Turner Foundation
Weeden Foundation
Cinnabar Foundation
are supporting continued work to share the findings of the Assessment and to lay the groundwork for potential implementation of recommendations.
Questions about the assessment? Please contact us at 191@largelandscapes.org
Banner Photo: The Gallatin River and US-191 near Big Sky, Montana – Adobe Stock; Elk photo: NPS/Jacob W. Frank
