On Tuesday July 7th, the North Carolina state legislature passed millions of dollars in recurring funding to design and construct wildlife crossings across the state, and governor Stein signed the budget into law! NCPIRG Students have been calling for wildlife crossing funding in order to save lives, both human and wildlife, from preventable collisions on roadways.
NCPIRG Students and our friends at Environment North Carolina collected and delivered over 3,500 petition signatures since launching their campaign for more wildlife crossings in the summer of 2025.
“Collisions and close calls with animals on the road is an all too familiar story in North Carolina,” said Sarah Eckstein, President of NCPIRG at UNC Chapel Hill, “That’s why I am heartened to see annual funding that will save lives and help protect endangered wildlife populations, such as the Red wolf.”
Wildlife-vehicle collisions result in 200 human deaths, 26,000 injuries and at least $8 billion in property damage each year in the U.S. In North Carolina in 2025 ,there were an estimated 88,000 animal collision insurance claims, impacting drivers and animals.
Since North Carolina is a high risk state for wildlife-vehicle collisions, the budget which Governor Stein signed into law including $10.2 million recurring every two years is a historic investment to make roads safer for wildlife as well as drivers. Among those animals which are most threatened by these collisions is the endangered Red wolf, which only roams the wild in North Carolina. Other animals which would benefit from crossings are black bears, box turtles and salamanders.
“Here in North Carolina, we pride ourselves on our natural areas and iconic wildlife, from the elk to the bog turtles in our wetlands,” Eckstein continued. “This investment will result in fewer accidents along our roads and help nature to thrive in our beautiful state.”
