The speed limit is unlikely to change due to…

Ever since Wyoming’s famous Grizzly 399 was hit by a car, there have been calls to lower speed limits, increase fencing to protect wildlife near highways and question whether its death could somehow be prevented.

The short answer is that the death of one animal, even a beloved animal like 399, will not result in any immediate change.

Instead, some officials told Cowboy State Daily that trying to stay ahead of the constant threat traffic poses to wildlife is a costly and ongoing endeavor.

“Our county traffic engineers are always studying traffic patterns and crash data to identify areas where speed limits may need to be adjusted,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation spokesman Doug McGee. “Adjusting the speed limit is a formal engineering process.

“A single animal-vehicle collision, even one as heartbreaking as this one, does not necessarily indicate a need to change the speed limit,” he added.

The accident occurred outside most of the project areas

There are many wildlife safety projects on highways adjacent to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in some of Wyoming’s most wildlife-rich areas, according to Teton County Public Works Project Manager Chris Colligan.

The largest ongoing project, he said, is a system of overpasses, underpasses and fencing between Jackson and Grand Teton National Park, where wildlife of all kinds is particularly abundant.

In recent years, however, Grizzly 399 appears to have advanced even further, Colligan said. The location where she was hit is on Highway 26/89 in the Snake River Canyon in Lincoln County, which is well south of the park.

That was about as far south as Grizzly 399 had ever gone, he said.

Additional wildlife conservation efforts there “are not a priority area because of the canyon issues,” he said, adding that in the past (Grizzly 399) “has used some of the areas where we have had crossing or crossing projects. »

Would a lower speed limit help?

The speed limit is 55 mph where Grizzly 399 was hit. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of the vehicle that struck was not speeding, distracted or doing anything wrong.

Despite this, some have questioned whether a lower speed limit could have prevented the accident.

That’s unlikely, officials say.

In fact, lowering speed limits may make the situation worse.

“While it may seem counterintuitive, lower speed limits do not always make drivers safer,” McGee said. “Speed ​​differences between vehicles often lead to additional crashes and injuries.”

Federal bear biologist Frank van Manen said changing speed limits could have mixed results when it comes to wildlife safety.

“In general, higher driving speeds tend to correlate with a higher risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions because both driver and animal have less time to react and avoid a collision,” said van Manen, a wildlife biologist. U.S. Geological Survey Wildlife Researcher. Interagency Grizzly Bear Research Team. “However, research has shown that simply lowering the speed limit may not be effective.”

It won’t work unless everyone plays by the rules, he said.

“Speed ​​limits are usually set according to the structure of the roadway,” van Manen said. “If speed limits are reduced significantly below the design value, what is called “speed spread” occurs, in which some drivers remain within the speed limit while others drive at the higher speed allowed by the road design.

“This can actually increase the risk of wildlife collisions.”

Infrastructure helps

Tracking animal movements helps determine where fencing, wildlife crossings and other infrastructure are needed, Colligan said.

However, McGee said improving the safety of wildlife and drivers isn’t as simple as just adding fences here and there.

“While it may seem simple, the goal of a wildlife fencing project is to use the fence to direct wildlife to a safe crossing point, which typically includes a wildlife-safe underpass or overpass,” he said. “The location of this event will involve a number of engineering challenges for any type of crossing. Funding for wildlife crossings is limited and these facilities are extremely expensive.”

Federal funding helps cover costs, van Manen said.

Wyoming received $350 million in federal wildlife crossing money allocated in 2023.

However, grants from this pool of money often require matching funds, either through state or local governments or through private donations. And even one project can be very expensive.

Earlier this year, $2.7 million in donations allowed the backers of a proposed wildlife crossing near DuBois to secure federal grants for the remainder of the project’s estimated $28 million price tag.

Construction there is scheduled to begin in 2027.

That fits the typical timeline for major wildlife transitions — “five years or more,” van Manen said.

Risky lifestyle

Grizzly 399, Grizzly 104 and other mother bears became famous for raising their cubs near roadsides.

This is because mother bears have learned that crowded areas can help protect them from large male grizzlies. Male grizzly bears have been known to kill other people’s cubs.

Having highly visible grizzlies has its benefits, van Manen said.

“The ability to safely view bears from a vehicle or road is highly valued by many visitors to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and for many, it is a lifelong memory,” he said. “That’s why Bear 399 became an ambassador for grizzly bear conservation at GYE.

“Research has shown that visitors would be willing to pay higher entrance fees to national parks if bear sightings were guaranteed; Bear watching also helps boost the local economy.”

The downside is that roadside bears create situations that require more work and more personnel to keep bears and people safe, van Manen said.

It worked well within national parks, he said.

Outside the parks things are different.

“However, where this is less feasible, it can create potentially dangerous situations, as we have seen at Togwotee Pass in recent years,” van Manen said.

The area where Grizzly 399 was shot down is not a hot spot for crowds hoping to see bears, he said. But her habit of hanging out near roads made her lifestyle risky.

“The 399 vehicle collision was not a situation (like Togwotee Pass), but her habituation to human activity did lead her and many of her descendants into landscapes where mortality risks are higher,” he said.

Mark Heinz can be contacted at [email protected].