Voices: Wildlife crossings can help bring mule deer back — and keep Utahns safer

Still struggling to recover from their 25-year population low reached in 2005, Utah’s Mule deer remain more than 100,000 deer below the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’ target. That matters not only for hunters and wildlife enthusiasts, but for Utah’s economy, as mule deer are a key driver of Utah’s hunting sector, which brings in $331 million annually.

Few people understand the challenges facing Utah’s mule deer better than we do. Greg Sheehan is president of the Mule Deer Foundation and has spent his career managing deer populations and habitat after serving as the state director of both the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and later the Bureau of Land Management. And, raised in the Salt Lake and Tooele Valleys, Isobel Lingenfelter has witnessed the steady loss of open space and mule deer habitat in Utah’s urban core and has focused her early career as conservation director of the Utah Wildlife Federation on building collaborative solutions that work for wildlife and communities alike.

We know there is no silver bullet for mule deer recovery. If there were, wildlife managers would have deployed it long ago. But one proven, highly effective tool stands out: building wildlife crossings and committing to funding them year after year.

Mule deer are hit on Utah’s roadways more than any other animal. They move long distances daily and seasonally to find food, water and winter range — movements that increasingly bring them into conflict with highways. This makes mule deer the canary in the coal mine for many different types of wildlife and their ability to move where they need to go. The traffic volumes in Utah have doubled over the past 25 years, and today more than 7,000 deer-vehicle collisions occur in the state annually.

According to a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources study, the combination of seasonal malnutrition and deer-vehicle collisions makes up at least 2 in 10 mule deer deaths, which, compared to hunting harvests, make up 1 in 100 deaths. Wildlife crossings reduce these collisions dramatically, while also reconnecting the high-quality habitats that roads have carved apart. When paired with targeted habitat restoration, crossings help deer reach critical seasonal ranges, improving survival during harsh winters and dry summers alike.

This is not just a wildlife issue — it’s a public safety issue. Nearly everyone in Utah knows someone who has hit a deer, elk or moose on the road. While these crashes are often survivable, they frequently result in injuries, totaled vehicles and thousands of dollars in medical and repair costs. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that animal-vehicle collisions cause more than 200 human deaths and $8 billion in damages every year.

Beyond collisions, blocking wildlife movement has longer-term consequences. When animals can’t migrate or disperse, they lose the ability to adapt to drought, wildfire and rapid development. Over time, that pressure pushes more species closer to being listed as threatened or endangered — an outcome that is far more costly and restrictive than proactive conservation.

Utah has already shown leadership by investing in habitat restoration. In 2025, lawmakers advanced a major initiative led by Rep. Casey Snider to commit $5 million annually to the Species Protection Account, which supports habitat restoration for the state’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need — those identified in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan as species that could become threatened or endangered without early intervention.

But funding for wildlife crossings remains largely dependent on one-time appropriations stretched across a growing list of needs. Pairing Utah’s ongoing investment in habitat restoration with an equal investment in wildlife crossings would give mule deer and other wildlife a critical edge.

Establishing a dedicated wildlife crossing fund would cement Utah’s position as a national leader in reconnecting landscapes, reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and keeping both people and wildlife safe.

At a time when drought and development continue to shrink and fragment habitat, this commitment would give mule deer a fighting chance — and ensure Utah’s outdoors remain productive, wild and resilient for generations to come.

Greg Sheehan is the President and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation with more than 20 years of leadership experience in habitat and wildlife conservation.

Isobel Lingenfelter is the Conservation Director of the Utah Wildlife Federation and has facilitated the Utah Wildlife Connectivity Working Group for more than five years.

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