More wildlife crossings needed to help animals move safely, reconnect nature

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BETHESDA, MD – Wildlife advocates gathered at the Elmhirst Parkway Neighborhood Conservation Area on 11/4to highlight the increased risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions as daylight saving time ends and during fall.

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Last weekend, Marylanders set their clocks back an hour and got a happily anticipated extra hour of sleep. But for wildlife this can be an especially dangerous time of year. In the week following the end of daylight saving time, deer-vehicle collisions increase by around 16%, part of a general increase in animal-vehicle collisions as animals are in rut and more likely to dash across roads, daylight hours are shortened and the clocks change.

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“Deer and other animals’ internal clocks don’t change just because humans change their external clocks. Drivers should be extra diligent at this time of year,” said Ruby Mae Heathman, Environment America associate. “This seasonal trend highlights a bigger, year-round problem. Our roads and highways have fragmented natural habitats. Wildlife crossings offer a way to reconnect nature.”

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“An animal darting into the road can surprise even the most vigilant and coordinated driver. That’s why the best way to minimize collisions is to keep wildlife off our roads in the first place.” said Ruby Mae Heathman, Environment America associate. “Wildlife crossings have been shown to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 97%.”

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Wildlife crossings – in the form of overpasses, underpasses, tunnels and culverts – provide safe passage for animals, from elk, deer, bears to smaller critters, so they can reach critical habitat, food sources and mates.

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Given the effectiveness of wildlife crossings, Environment Maryland is calling for reauthorization of the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program in the next U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Highway bill. The program has accelerated investments in wildlife crossings across the country. This includes Maryland, which has received $387,424 for the Maryland Statewide Planning, Design, and Technology to Reduce WVCs project. However, this program lapsed at the end of September 2026. Given the expiration of the USDOT budget, it is expected a new budget will be a priority in the next Congress.

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“Healthy, thriving wildlife populations need connected landscapes to move, find food, reach breeding areas and adapt to a changing environment. Maryland has taken important steps forward, from setting a goal to conserve 40% of its lands by 2040, to updating the mapping of Maryland’s Habitat Connectivity Network, to passing the Wildlife Connectivity and Crossings Act," said Chesapeake Conservancy CEO Susan Shingledecker. "We need to keep building on this progress and recognize that reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions requires us to think more broadly about how we manage our roads and infrastructure alongside the needs of wildlife.”

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“With more wildlife crossings we can help animals and nature to thrive and make our roads safer all day, everyday,” Ruby Mae concluded.