Now they are funneled by tall fencing to one of two overpasses or six underpasses.

The benefit isn’t just for the safety of passing motorists, Sawyer said. Those animals that moved one way or another 60,000 times were trying to find better food or suitable mates. The over and underpasses improved their ability to cope with Wyoming’s harsh climate the way they had before asphalt and vehicles.

“If those animals weren’t able to access that winter range, over time if they couldn’t get to these important winter habitats, we would lose that segment of the population,” said Dean Clause, wildlife biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Pinedale. “We manage for a certain number of animals in both of the herd units and we wouldn’t be able to maintain the numbers we have today.”

Clause worked with Sawyer and others to find the best places for the passes, as well as determine sizes. The overpasses are about twice as wide as some in other areas and include features such as dirt berms, encouraging even more passage by Wyoming’s pronghorn population, he said.