breaking grounD
Wildlife
overcrossing
construction
begins
From elk and black bears to rare wolves and wolverines, wildlife are on the
move in Washington's Cascade Mountains. But for decades Interstate 90 has been
a serious barrier to creatures traveling through some of the state's richest habitat,
impacting wildlife populations and putting both motorists and animals in danger.
A project that broke ground on June 9, 2015, plans to change that.
anks to advocacy from Conservation Northwest, leadership from the Wash-
ington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and support from a broad
coalition of organizations, businesses and state and federal agencies, wild animals
will soon be getting their own bridge, dubbed the Price/Noble Wildlife Overcross-
ing, over the busy freeway east of Snoqualmie Pass.
"I-90 has a tremendous impact on wildlife because it's carrying over 28,000 ve-
hicles a day bisecting the Cascades," said Jen Watkins of Conservation Northwest,
coordinator for the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition. "If we prevent them from mov-
ing, we're blocking their ability to find food, we're blocking their ability to find new
places to live when conditions change, like aer the large wildfires we saw last year,
and we're blocking their ability to find new mates and have strong genetic diversity
in the population."
Speaking at the overcrossing groundbreaking, Jason Kuiken, Deputy Forest Su-
pervisor of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, said projects like the I-90
overcrossing help reconnect fish and wildlife habitat and exemplify the Forest Ser-
vice's mission.
"is is truly an exceptional project
that extends well beyond the place we
are today," said Kuiken.
For over a decade, Conservation
Northwest has led efforts to protect,
connect and restore habitat in the Sno-
qualmie Pass corridor. Aer years of ad-
vocating for safe wildlife crossings under
and over I-90, we're thrilled to reach this
important milestone.
As part of our I-90 Wildlife Cor-
ridor Campaign, Conservation North-
west also administers the I-90 Wildlife
Bridges Coalition, a diverse group of
endorsing businesses, conservation and
civic organizations that advocate for the
wildlife crossings project.
Using trail cameras and the support
of enthusiastic volunteers, we're also
Chase gunnell Communications
Manager, chase@conservationnw.org
Our staff and volunteers are putting the same energy we brought to protecting and con-
necting wildlands around I-90 towards restoring habitat. Each fall, we engage volunteers to improve
habitat in and around the Gold Creek wildlife underpasses by removing invasive plants and planting
native vegetation in partnership with both the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee Na-
tional Forests. Hundreds of volunteers have donated 1,000 hours each year to weed, mulch, and plant
well over 10,000 plants, improving habitat for fish and wildlife and making the undercrossings more
appealing for animals. Stay tuned to our website or Facebook page for 2015 Planting Party dates!
6 Spring/Summer 2015 conservationnw.org
The Gold Creek Valley looking north, a major north–south corridor for elk, deer, black bears and other wildlife that leads straight to I-90 in
central Washington state. Chase Gunnell
Feature: I-90 milestones
Restoring habitat for a warm wildlife welcome
