Last September, a man was cited for littering after sheriff deputies said he used a tractor to move a dead deer from Road P to a ditch along Road 20 near Cortez.
According to the incident report, the man said he was simply clearing the road to prevent car wrecks.
The incident reflects a reality many Montezuma County residents face: a risk on local roads of colliding with wildlife – dead or alive. Between Dolores and Telluride along the scenic San Juans, the area is open range for cows that often graze and roam near roadsides and shoulders.
“In just one winter, I remember an entire herd of deer – man, it was a lot – and they decimated the herd, and it’s a problem everywhere,” said Sheriff Steve Nowlin, citing constant calls for animal‑vehicle collisions.
The worst stretch is U.S. Highway 160 between Cortez and Mancos. Wildlife officials say the corridor ranks among the top 5% most dangerous in the state for vehicle collisions with wildlife. From the western edge of Cortez to just past Mancos, CPW recorded 404 wildlife‑vehicle crashes from the years 2020 to 2025.
Similarly, state agencies recorded 802 mule deer and elk carcasses on U.S. 160 from 2020 to 2024. The roadkill data for that period also included black bears, mountain lion and bighorn sheep. Other species in the data included raccoon, coyote, fox, owl, rabbit, bobcat, turkey, skunk and badger.
Agencies like the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have spent years studying how collisions occur and working with partners to identify problem areas.
Those efforts involve a system of mitigation tactics and structures, including wildlife fencing, underpasses and overpasses, but the state still lacks a dedicated funding stream for the cost‑heavy projects.
CDOT is in the design and planning phase for constructing a large‑game underpass along U.S. 160’s Cortez–Mesa Verde corridor, where many mule deer, elk or black bears migrate. Fences will also be built in existing drainage culverts to ensure safe passage of smaller mammals like rabbits, foxes and raccoons.
The project is still years away – CDOT’s Region 5 communications manager Lisa Schwantes said it expects to break ground in the early 2030s.
The project demonstrates how mitigation strategies are multifaceted. Sometimes they involve installing crossings, fencing, deer guards or escape ramps designed to keep animals off the roads. But to be effective, they require animals to use those features.
State agencies could construct one massive fence around all highways, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s senior resources manager Brian Magee said the theory stops short, posing serious ecological risks.
“The consequence of that would be that our deer and elk no longer can move across the landscape, and we would end up impacting the populations,” he said.
Magee said they learned elk aren’t as fond of underpasses. Elk do not naturally travel underground and are likely wary of enclosed spaces or entering tunnel‑like structures.
“Where in the natural world is an elk going to go underground?” Magee said. “Mule deer don't seem to mind using the underpasses.”
Magee said the location, as well as the seasons, play major roles – this region is particularly vulnerable migration hub.
Southwest Colorado sees large herds of migrating mule deer and elk each year. In the fall, animals traverse from high‑elevation mountains to lower winter ranges. In the spring, they return to the mountains for summer.
Beyond the biological considerations, wildlife crossings are no easy engineering feat and usually present the challenge of raising funds. Cash was put up by the Southern Ute Tribe, CDOT and CPW for the wildlife overpass and underpass along U.S. 160 between Bayfield and Pagosa Springs.
According to CDOT, more than 60% of all crashes in the area were attributed to wildlife‑vehicle collisions. CDOT said the project’s safety features reduced those collisions by about 80%. The most recent project was the I‑70 Greenland overpass built last year, extending across six lanes between Denver and Colorado Springs.
“We've done the work to know where these things go. We've done the study to know what works if they're put in the right place,” Magee said. “And now, we're really just trying to find the resources to implement those projects and that takes time and money.”
Projects are typically funded through a mix of federal grants and partnerships.
John Livingston, public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said to stay safe drivers should stay aware during dawn and dusk, when wildlife activity peaks.
“You got to be looking at the shoulders and on all the area around the roads too,” he said.
Livingston said if you see one animal, assume more are nearby.
“Not being distracted and playing on your phone or eating your breakfast burrito, driving with your knees,” Magee said. “Those are always terrible ideas.”
awatson@the‑journal.com
