Wildlife Bridges and Crossings
About this episode
Debbie Foster and Laurie Horne discuss the importance of wildlife bridges and crossings in protecting animals and reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions.
This week on The Backyard Naturalists , Debbie Foster and Laurie Horne explore the fascinating world of wildlife bridges, wildlife crossings, green bridges, and ecoducts — structures designed to help animals safely move across fragmented habitats caused by highways, railroads, canals, and other human-made barriers. From deer, elk, badgers, mountain lions, alligators, amphibians, turtles, and even endangered red wolves, these crossings are becoming an increasingly important tool for protecting wildlife and people alike. Debbie and Laurie discuss how wildlife crossings have been used in Europe since the 1950s, why places like the Netherlands and Banff National Park in Canada have become models for large-scale wildlife passage, and how thoughtful design — including native plants, fencing, underpasses, overpasses, and species-specific construction — can dramatically reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. The episode also highlights current and future projects in North Carolina , including work along I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge and US 64 near Alligator River , where crossings may benefit black bears, bobcats, turtles, snakes, and the critically endangered red wolf . Whether you're a…
More episodes of The Backyard Naturalists
- The Matthews Community Farmer's market
- ENCORE EPISODE: Benefits of Trees
- ENCORE: Bird Feeding 2.0: Elevating Your Backyard Aviary
- ENCORE: Frogs, Toads and Backyard Choruses
- Names for Male and Female Animals
- What Bird Built That?
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Backyard Naturalists podcast page.