SUPPORT: Wildlife Protections and Highway Crossings SB 902/ HB 1129
This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with the State Highway Administration, to identify and prioritize certain species whose habitat or movement corridors intersect with State highways and develop tools, technology, and techniques to identify certain State highway infrastructure locations. It requires the Department of Natural Resources to take certain actions regarding a statewide deer population survey on or before November 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026, and to collaborate with automobile insurance providers to remit a fee to the Fund.
Vehicle collisions with wildlife on the nation’s roads claim the lives of millions of animals and kill or injure tens of thousands of people each year. According to the Pew Charitable Trust, a wildlife crossing along State Highway 9 in Colorado reduced such collisions by 90% from 2015 to 2020. In Oregon, a wildlife crossing on U.S. 97 near Lava Butte decreased wildlife collisions by roughly 85% during a 2015-17 monitoring period.
Animals are moving and shifting their migration patterns as they adapt to climate change. Research and technology have made it possible to target the best places for wildlife crossings so that they can most effectively benefit wildlife and motorists. It is time for Maryland to utilize these existing tools to coordinate efforts between the Maryland State Highway Administration and the Department of Natural Resources to protect Maryland’s wildlife and drivers.
Maryland’s wildlife and motorists are depending on us!
Please contact your legislators and ask them to SUPPORT SB 902/HB 1129!
Thank you again for being an advocate for Maryland’s animals. Remember, Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc. can only succeed with the help of animal advocates like you. Please consider making a donation to Maryland Votes for Animals at voteanimals.org/donate now, so we can continue fighting for Maryland animals.
With compassion,
Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc.