Nonprofit seeks volunteers to help tally wildlife, dead or alive, on Oregon’s roads

Dozens of volunteers across the state have now signed up to help tally wildlife they observe either dead or alive along Oregon’s roadways. That might mean, for example, taking out their phone to snap a photo of an elk munching on moss next to a country road or a photo of a dead opossum struck by a vehicle. The images will be collected from Oct. 17 to Oct. 25 and uploaded to the iNaturalist community science platform.  

The advocacy nonprofit Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center is organizing the Roadside Wildlife Count, as previously reported by Oregon Capital Chronicle. Volunteers can sign up at any point to help during the 9-day count. The collected data will contribute to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s existing projects that also engage the public’s help to share wildlife sightings and roadkills they encounter. 

Justin Boyles, conservation advocate for Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center, says its count aims to also raise awareness of the thousands of collisions between vehicles and large animals like deer and elk in Oregon each year and the importance of wildlife crossings to help wildlife safely traverse roads and highways. 

Boyles joins us to share more details about the Roadside Wildlife Count and similar surveys organized by the Environment America Research & Policy Center and other state affiliates.  

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