Daughter advocates for Colorado wildlife collision prevention bill; "I would never want this to happen to anybody else"

A new bill proposed in the state legislature hopes to save lives on Colorado's highways.

In 2024, Colorado State Patrol responded to more than 3,700 crashes involving wildlife. Many of them were deadly.

One Castle Rock family has been fighting for wildlife safe passage projects after they lost a member to a wildlife collision on Highway 85 between Daniels Park Road and Happy Canyon Road.

"My dad was an amazing person. He was a huge animal lover, family guy, friend, just a really fun person to be around," said Castle Rock resident Mary Rodriguez.

Wildlife collisions weren't something Rodriguez used to think much about.

"We never thought we would run into wildlife … let alone lose a beloved family member because of it," Rodriguez said.

Until Sept. 29, 2024, when her father Victor was killed in one on Highway 85 near Happy Canyon Road.

"An oncoming motorist hit a 700 pound elk, launching it into the air, and it came crashing through his windshield, and he didn't see it and was killed on impact, and my mother was injured, but she did survive the accident," Rodriguez said.

Mary's life was forever changed.

"It's been absolutely devastating. We miss him every single day, and he is not here anymore to spend holidays with us," Rodriguez said. "He's missing everything over something that could have absolutely been avoided."

She began working to get wildlife fencing and crossings installed there.

"People are at risk driving this stretch of highway every single day," Rodriguez said.

CDOT tells CBS Colorado they are in the design phase on a wildlife safe passage project on U.S. 85 between Meadows Parkway and Sedalia, the exact stretch where Victor lost his life. CDOT says no specific crossing locations have been determined yet, but the department is working with Douglas County and CPW to identify the best locations. CDOT says no construction funding has been identified on the project yet, but newly introduced legislation could help fund the project.

"It makes me feel hopeful and excited for the future that someone's eyes are on this area, and I think it's just a matter of time, and the first step is getting the funding, and that's what we're working on now," Rodriguez said.

Senate Bill 26-141 would create a wildlife collision prevention fund in Colorado.

"When wildlife crossings are installed on our highways, when wildlife fencing is installed on our highways, we see collisions reduce almost overnight by over 90%," said Democrat state Sen. Dylan Roberts.

The bipartisan bill proposes an optional $5 fee on car registrations, that Coloradans can opt out of.

Those dollars can be matched by federal grants.

"Every dollar we put in at a state level, the federal government is willing to offer up to $4 so we could quadruple our benefit by with any investment we make," Roberts said.

When asked about if changing federal priorities could impact the availability of those funds, Roberts said:

"That's it's a major concern we face with a lot of things here at the Capitol and across the state of Colorado, the shifting federal landscape, and some of the dollars that have been withheld from Colorado," Roberts said. "This has seen broad bipartisan support, even from the Trump administration in other states. And so we're hopeful that Colorado can show that we're worthy of some of those federal investments."

Despite previous attempts to pass similar legislation failing, state lawmakers are optimistic this bill will pass.

"We faced some opposition in the building because it was a mandatory fee, even though it was very small, and I understood that concern. And so we actually got this opt-in suggestion during the bill process last year. And so that's something I took to heart and worked on over the course of last summer and fall leading up to this year's bill," Roberts said. "We've tried to do this for a couple years now, and have never gotten a bill all the way across the finish line. And I think what we have in this year's bill is the right way to move forward."

"There are stretches in my district that are notorious for just an abundance of wildlife vehicle interactions," said Republican state Sen. Cleave Simpson. "I can relax a little bit more driving through those long sections where I know we've recently installed game fencing and crossings."

If passed, CDOT would decide which wildlife safe passage projects would get funds first, based on expert input and crash data.

"I was so excited to hear that this this issue is being taken seriously and that it's now finally being addressed," Rodriguez said. "My dad was a huge animal lover, and specifically loved elk and deer very much, so he would want them to not be in danger also."

Mary is hopeful that the bill could fund the Highway 85 improvements she's been asking for.

"I feel I owe it to my dad who died in such a tragic, violent way. I would never want this to happen to anybody else. No one should experience what my family and I have experienced," Rodriguez said. "It's so important to protect wildlife and to protect other people from letting this happen to another family."

She'll be testifying at the Capitol in favor of the bill.

"I've gone to the Capitol and spoken already, and I will continue to do so, and I will do what it takes to get the job done," Rodriguez said.