Jones owns a wildlife conservation ranch near the 11-mile stretch of highway in question. The area the road goes through is a heavily used wildlife corridor, especially in winter, when the primary winter foraging range for most animals sits on the east side of the highway, while their only water source sits on the west of it.
Over the past two decades, nearly 600 accidents between motor vehicles and animals have occurred on that section of highway. These crashes killed 16 people and injured 191.
Since 2006, 455 animal deaths have been documented.
“Almost daily we witness collisions between wildlife, cars and trucks out on Highway 9,” said the manager of Jones' ranch, Perry Handyside. “We decided we had to step forward and help.”
The project that Jones' money will help pay for will construct five wildlife overpasses and two underpasses, and an 8-foot-high wildlife fence between them, as well as other improvements.
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