Silhouettes bring attention to wildlife crossings in Park City

Not long after moving to Park City a few years ago, Mari Mennel-Bell saw a dead mother moose and her calf on the side of State Route 224.

“I freaked out,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this was supposed to be paradise.’"

After seeing the wildlife silhouettes in Jackson, Wyoming, she suggested the nonprofit Save People Save Wildlife put some moose up in Park City, which they installed last year. This week, a couple of elk joined the herd.

“They are fun, they're pretty, they're artwork, but they are making a point,” said Mennel-Bell. “It's just to give the idea of the herd that there are many creatures here.”

Art isn’t the only way the organization is trying to save people and wildlife.

“There's 30,000 cars plus on this road every day, and so now, they're talking about widening it from 85 ft to 110,” said Mennel-Bell. “How in the world are these creatures going to cross, unless we get wildlife crossings?”

Many drivers don’t realize the meaning behind the moose; James Marshall, a Park City resident, recently learned of their significance.

“I thought it was just art,” he said. “I think signs are great because they're very visible. When the sun goes down, it almost seems like they're lit up.”

The art is just a start, and UDOT needs to add wildlife crossings to 224, said Mennel-Bell.

“It's great to have the silhouettes, have people seeing those, but obviously it is not totally working because wildlife keeps getting killed.”