WOW! Thank you Governors!
A car cruises along a winding, tree lined road. The driver rounds a bend, sees a flash of fur and bright eyes glowing in the headlights. The wheel jerks and the tires screech.
This tragic scenario is becoming all too common on our roads, claiming the lives of millions of animals and hundreds of Americans every year. And the numbers are steadily rising. While the number of all reported crashes has been holding steady, the number of reported wildlife-vehicle collisions has skyrocketed – now representing one out of every 20 reported motor vehicle collisions, and occurring every 26 seconds.
A national study found 21 federally listed threatened or endangered species in the U.S. whose very survival is threatened by roadkill and habitat loss, like the Florida panther and the San Joaquin kit fox.
Wildlife-vehicle collisions are also stressing an already stressed economy; the average cost per accident is $7,000. And all of us are paying dearly, even if we never hit an animal. When you factor in resources from law enforcement, emergency services, road maintenance crews and wildlife management, the estimated total annual cost to society is nearly $8.4 billion.
Because many drivers are unaware of the risk and cost associated with wildlife-vehicle collisions, Defenders of Wildlife hosts Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week (WOW) each September. This year the awareness week is from September 18th to 24th. Our Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week website, www.watchoutforwildlife.org, features tips for drivers, contact information in the case of a wildlife-vehicle collision, fact sheets, multimedia presentations and materials for kids and teachers.
In order to increase awareness in each state, the Habitat and Highways program asked governors to officially proclaim Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week in their states. To date, we have heard from these four states:
- Governor Beshear from Kentucky (Kentucky Proclamation)
- Governor Quinn from Illinois (Illinois Proclamation)
- Governor Kitzhaber from Oregon (Oregon Proclamation)
- Governor Schweitzer from Montana (Montana Proclamation)
Defenders of Wildlife thanks these governors for helping us spread the word about these costly and dangerous collisions. For more information on wildlife-vehicle collisions please visit the Habitat and Highways website at www.habitatandhighways.org and the WOW website at www.watchoutforwildlife.org.
Don’t see your Governor listed here? Send her/him a gentle nudge to proclaim September 18-24 as Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week in your state!
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