Presenters update board on I‑5 wildlife‑crossing study, highlight Siskiyou site and funding needs

George Jennings, executive director of Or Cal, and Fraser Shilling updated the board on an Interstate‑5 mountain‑wildlife crossing study and design effort, saying ecology work is complete and the team is now working with Caltrans on engineering feasibility.

“Congratulations, Siskiyou County for hosting the 1st wildlife crossing of the state highway in California,” Shilling said, presenting examples of undercrossings and overcrossings and explaining the team’s current focus on overcrossing designs. He told supervisors the project will proceed to a 65% design — a level suitable for bidding — within about 18 months.

Shilling described a GIS‑based prioritization model that combined collision records and habitat data to score candidate locations. He said the team identified priority corridors labeled A through G, noting A‑D are mostly on public land while E‑G are adjacent to private parcels and may require easements or landowner agreements. The presenters said locations where land on both sides is publicly accessible are the easiest near‑term options.

Jennings and Shilling singled out collision data in the study area, including an anecdote relayed to the team: a local tow‑truck driver reportedly recorded “234 deer kills” on Anderson Grade the day the highway opened. Jennings used the report to underline the safety urgency behind mitigation work and the need to reduce large‑animal collisions.

Board members asked about extending similar measures to Highway 3 in Scott Valley. Jennings said the team has begun conversations with Caltrans and that lower‑cost local options—fencing, underpass retrofits and warning systems—could be deployed where full overcrossings are infeasible. Shilling emphasized that full overcrossings are expensive: he cited the Highway 97 project at roughly $20 million and said similar local overcrossings could be in the $30–40 million range, which will require state or federal funding.

Presenters said the current phase includes engineering feasibility with Caltrans and that funding partners such as the Wildlife Conservation Board have already supported study work. They offered to continue coordination with supervisors and Caltrans as the project advances to final design and potential grant applications.