LINCOLN- The Nebraska Department of Transportation and Nebraska Game and Parks announced Tuesday that they had been awarded a $400,000 federal grant to explore ways to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in western Nebraska along Nebraska 71. The funding, according to the two agencies, will be utilized to conduct a study to explore the feasibility of designated bighorn sheep crossings in the Wildcat Hills region, where 18 of the 26 bighorn sheep collisions were recorded over the past 10 years.

"Because of the geography of this area, bighorn sheep regularly cross the highway here, an area near the entrance of the Wildlife Estates housing area," said Todd Nordeen, a big-game researcher and program manager with Game and Parks, "With the Heartland Expressway's continued development, traffic between Rapid City, South Dakota and Denver will continue to increase, as will the risk of crashes."

Part of the grant funding will also be used to purchase 10 new radio tracking collars, which will be placed on bighorn sheep to track movement patterns. If the study concludes that a wildlife crossing is feasible in the area, Game and Parks believes that other wildlife in the Wildcat Hills will benefit from its construction as well. And, should the crossing be warranted, it would be the first of its kind in Nebraska.

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