EDITORIAL: Oregon should move ahead with curbing collisions between cars, wildlife

Published 2:00 pm Friday, February 18, 2022

Most people who have spent much time driving Oregon’s highways have felt that twinge of fear when they see a deer or elk standing on the road’s fringe.

And some have felt something more tangible.

The unpleasant crunch when metal or plastic collides with flesh and bone.

These episodes are costly in multiple ways.

The animals rarely survive. Occasionally, the driver doesn’t either.

And according to a recent report, the average cost, including repairs, when a car hits a mule deer is $9,086.

These incidents aren’t exactly rare, either. The Oregon Department of Transportation recorded almost 31,000 collisions between vehicles and wildlife (deer being the most frequent species) from 2017 to 2021.

Reducing that toll is the goal of a coalition that includes hunters, anglers, Tribal representatives and members of conservation groups. They are promoting a bill in the Oregon Legislature that would allocate $7 million to build fences, underpasses and other structures that have been proven, in Oregon and elsewhere, to cut the number of collisions.

The bill introduced by Rep. Ken Helm, a Democrat from Washington County, has attracted bipartisan sponsorship, including from Reps. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and Bobby Levy, R-Echo. The Legislature should pass the bill — House Bill 4130-01 — before concluding the short 2022 session next month.

Although the $7 million would help the state start addressing sections of highways where collisions are more common — including Interstate 84 near Meacham, which is along a popular elk migration route — the legislation might be more valuable as a leverage for federal dollars.

The federal infrastructure bill, passed by Congress in November, includes $350 million in competitive grants over five years to address car-wildlife collisions.

Proponents note that despite the proven benefits of fencing and underpasses — structures installed in 2012 along U.S. Highway 97 near Bend cut collisions by 86% over seven years — Oregon has only about five such structures, compared with 50 in Utah and more than 30 in Washington.

Passing Helm’s bill would be a substantive start to putting Oregon on the road toward addressing this recurring problem.

— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor