Deer fawn sleeping, nestled in grass

Photo credit: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Close encounters of the “wild” kind

By Darby Doyle
Park City Style Magazine
Posted Sept. 19, 2023

“Have you spotted a bobcat taking a midnight stroll on your doorbell camera? Or biked around a trail bend to find a herd of elk moving steadily up the mountain? Both are great reminders that wildlife is all around us in Park City. …

“Blair Stringham is the Wildlife Migration Initiative coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. … ‘Many changes are occurring to the landscape as housing developments are constructed, roads are built, recreational use expands, energy development increases and natural water sources are diverted,’ says Blair of Utah’s urban growth challenges. …

“Blair’s program collaborates with the Utah Department of Transportation to identify barriers and build wildlife crossing structures — such as bridges and underpasses — to safely divert wildlife away from high-traffic areas. …

“‘Studies have shown there is a 90 percent reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions when there is a crossing structure and fence in the area,’ says Blair.”

Read more at Park City Style Magazine, pp. 66–67