JACKSON, Wyo. — Wildlife ramps on the Snake River levees have been helping a variety of animals safely reach the river, according to new trail camera footage shared by the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation (JHWF).
The Snake River is lined with nearly 25 miles of levees, which are built of jagged boulders known as riprap. The steep levee walls help protect nearby properties from flooding. A joint press release from JHWF and Teton Conservation District (TCD) states that the levees create a hazardous wall for wildlife to climb. Slim-legged animals like elk, moose and deer can risk injury if their hoof slips and a leg gets stuck between the rocks.
Trail cameras were placed at sites along the river where wildlife ramps have been constructed between the river and the top of the levee. Across all of the monitored sites, JHWF and TCD said that 1,369 individual crossings have been recorded by 17 different species, including mountain lions, black bears, coyotes and sandhill cranes. According to the organizations, very little data previously existed on levee ramps, and this new monitoring effort will help fill in gaps.
“It’s easy to walk by the Snake River levees and not consider their impacts on wildlife,” JHWF Habitat Program Coordinator Cody Pitz said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see how quickly many species of wildlife are using these ramps, resulting in a more open habitat and corridor on our local river.”
Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 24 ramps were constructed on the levee north and south of the Wilson Bridge. JHWF, TCD and Teton County have all worked on the project. The sand and gravel ramps create a gradual grade to or from the river, offering a safer and more stable route for local wildlife.
According to camera data, the busiest site had a 98% crossing success rate after construction, and daily use at that location rose by 27%. At another site, where no wildlife was detected before the ramp existed, eight animals utilized the ramp over a 41-day period. Mule deer were detected using the ramps 105 times, up from 18 times before the ramp. The statement says that these levee pathways will help keep animals from being pushed onto roads or cut off from their range.
“Wildlife are tough, but given the choice between a wall of 3-foot, sharp-sided boulders and a gradual ramp, they’ll take the ramp,” TCD’s GIS and Wildlife Habitat Specialist Morgan Graham said in the news release. “Monitoring confirms these crossings work, and the long-term payoff is even bigger. The same calves that are shown these routes when they’re young will pass that knowledge on to future generations, increasing use over time.”
