States findings of the Legislature and supports wildlife crossings.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 124 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION1 STATING FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND SUPPORTING WILDLIFE CROSSINGS.2 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:3 WHEREAS, Idaho is home to abundant populations of big game species, in-4 cluding mule deer, elk, and pronghorn, that require intact, long-distance5 seasonal migrations to access critical habitat for survival; and6 WHEREAS, more than 50 big game migration corridors have been mapped7 across the state, demonstrating that landscape connectivity is vital to8 Idaho's wildlife and outdoor heritage; and9 WHEREAS, preserving and promoting big game migration corridors con-10 tributes to Idaho's robust economy and outdoor traditions by promoting11 healthy wildlife populations that support hunting, outfitting, and other12 outdoor recreation industries; and13 WHEREAS, significant numbers of mule deer, elk, and pronghorn crossing14 Idaho's highways pose a danger to both wildlife and humans, leading to ele-15 vated rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions that result in preventable mor-16 tality for both wildlife and humans; and17 WHEREAS, each year, hundreds of wildlife-vehicle collisions endanger18 human lives and cause millions of dollars in property damage and insurance19 costs; and20 WHEREAS, wildlife-vehicle collisions pose a clear risk to public21 safety, but such risk may be mitigated by certain infrastructure projects;22 and23 WHEREAS, where appropriate and supported by the local community,24 strategic investments in wildlife crossings, such as overpasses, under-25 passes, and related fencing, have proven highly effective in reducing26 wildlife-vehicle collisions by over 80% while maintaining the integrity of27 migration corridors, enabling wildlife to travel between summer and winter28 ranges; and29 WHEREAS, multiple infrastructure projects in Idaho facilitating the30 safe movement of wildlife across roadways, including the first wildlife31 overpass constructed in the state, the Cervidae Peak Wildlife Overpass over32 Highway 21, have shown significant benefits to wildlife movement and to re-33 ductions in wildlife-vehicle collisions, demonstrating the effectiveness34 of crossing structures and providing a basis of success to build on else-35 where; and36 WHEREAS, engaging with local communities and providing affected stake-37 holders with relevant information regarding associated infrastructure38 projects for facilitating wildlife movement across highways is an important39 component of implementing initiatives to conserve intact migration corri-40 dors in Idaho; and41 WHEREAS, a proactive approach to promoting intact wildlife migration42 corridors, including coordination with state agencies and local commu-43

2 nities, will contribute to the long-term viability of Idaho's wildlife1 resources and enhance public safety.2 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-3 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Rep-4 resentatives concurring therein, that the Legislature strongly supports the5 advancement of public safety and conservation of Idaho's big game migration6 corridors through the development and implementation of wildlife crossings7 where appropriate and supported by local communities.8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be transmitted to9 the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the Congress10 of the United States, the Governor of the State of Idaho, the Director of the11 Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and the Director of the Idaho Transporta-12 tion Department.13