Colorado Corridors Project

How You Can Help

Our remote-triggered cameras collect tens of thousands of photos each year. Because of this overwhelming amount of data, we need your help identifying the wildlife you see in these photos. With your help, we can process and analyze the data much faster than if we did it on our own. Also, we hope that you will enjoy looking at the diversity of wildlife on Vail Pass. Please read below for more information on the project. Thank you for your support!

Background

East Vail Pass along Interstate 70 (I-70), between Copper Mountain Resort and the top of Vail Pass, has long been identified as an important movement corridor for wildlife in Colorado. Most recently, the Summit County Safe Passages for Wildlife Connectivity Plan (the Plan), initiated by the U.S. Forest Service, identified East Vail Pass as a top priority area in which to focus wildlife mitigation efforts in the near term. The Plan, completed in 2017, was developed by a diverse group of stakeholders and provides a common vision for multi-species landscape connectivity throughout the county.

East Vail Pass

East Vail Pass, encompassed entirely by the White River National Forest, is important habitat for many wildlife species, including elk, mule deer and the only known breeding population of Canada lynx in Colorado outside the southwest corner of the state. Yet wildlife movement and habitat in the area are at risk due to the heavy and increasing traffic volumes on I-70, up to 23,000 vehicles on an average day. This much traffic presents a significant barrier to wildlife, with many animals no longer attempting to cross the roadway, or doing so unsuccessfully. Moreover, collisions with wildlife pose an extraordinary safety concern for motorists, resulting in property damage, injuries and fatalities, at a cost to society of $80 million per year in Colorado.

Wildlife Overpasses and Underpasses: A Solution

To restore connectivity in the area, three wildlife crossing structures – one overpass and two underpasses – have been recommended in the Plan to allow for the safe passage of wildlife over or under I-70 on East Vail Pass. Such structures, if instituted across North America, would more than pay for themselves in a matter of years, reconnecting the landscape and reducing collisions with wildlife by as much as 97 percent. Check out this StoryMap to learn more about the I-70 East Vail Pass Wildlife Crossings Project.

Wildlife Monitoring with Remote Triggered Cameras - Colorado Corridors Project

Wildlife monitoring is an essential step in assessing whether wildlife crossing structures are effective in restoring connectivity for wildlife moving across the landscape. The Colorado Corridors Project is an initiative of Denver Zoo and Rocky Mountain Wild to engage volunteers in wildlife monitoring on East Vail Pass. Volunteers assist with setting up and checking remote-triggered cameras in the field as well as identifying and cataloging species captured on the cameras through Zooniverse. The wildlife data that volunteers help us collect through this project will be used to both ensure the structures are designed so all wildlife in the area can use them and assess the effectiveness of the wildlife crossing structure by comparing data collected before and after construction.