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Three mule deer have become the first wildlife to cross over California’s first wildlife overcrossing over a state highway. The project is nearing completion on S.R. 97 in Siskiyou County, the 51�ԹϺ��� Davis Road Ecology Center and Caltrans this week. 

Roughly 100 cameras are aimed at the area near the structure and at the Wildfire Crossing Structure itself, which began construction last July. 

“This marks the first time wildlife have used the first-ever wildlife overcrossing in California,” said , director of the 51�ԹϺ��� Davis Road Ecology Center. “It heralds a new era of wildlife overcrossings to improve wildlife connectivity. “

In Southern California, the much larger and high-profile Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing — a vegetated bridge across U.S. 101 — is scheduled to open later this year to more safely connect mountain lions and other wildlife with their habitat. 

“Wildlife overcrossings are not just a Southern California solution,” Shilling said. “Combined with several miles of fencing to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, the S.R. 97 crossing is critical for the movement of gray wolf, elk, mountain lions, black bear, mule deer and myriad other wildlife in the area."

The Siskiyou County structure is also the first wildlife overcrossing that Caltrans planned, funded and built purely to improve wildlife connectivity and not as a required mitigation, Shilling noted.  

Data from Caltrans and the 51�ԹϺ��� Davis Road Ecology Center identified this area as a hot spot for wildlife-vehicle conflict, with more than 50 deer and 16 elk fatalities recorded between 2015 and 2020. 

"The heroic efforts of retired CDFW warden Rennie Cleland and Caltrans District 2 environmental staff led to this first for California, and both agencies should be proud of their achievement," Shilling said.