ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Nearly a decade after its completion, the Ann Day Memorial Wildlife Bridge between Oro Valley and Oracle has become a vital lifeline for desert animals—and a model for balancing development with conservation.
Completed in 2016 after more than 20 years of planning, the bridge and a nearby underpass along Oracle Road connect the Tortolita and Santa Catalina Mountains, giving animals a safe path across the busy roadway. The project was publicly funded through a voter-approved half-cent sales tax in the 2006 Regional Transportation Authority Plan, which included $45 million dedicated to wildlife connectivity. The wildlife bridge alone cost nearly $10 million.
According to the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, which monitors the crossings, the structures now see more than 2,000 animal crossings per month. Species spotted on trail cameras include mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, javelina, badgers, jackrabbits, desert tortoise, black bear, mountain lion—and even the rare white-nosed coati.
“Every single time an animal crosses, it’s a potential crash avoided,” said Jessica Moreno, the coalition’s science director. “It’s a potential mate they reached somewhere over there...and it’s a whole generation now of animals, so it’s almost hard to quantify the value.”
Moreno said reducing animal-vehicle collisions improves public safety while also helping local species stay genetically connected and ecologically healthy.
Residents and volunteers like Patricia Miller, who lives near the bridge, helped shape the layout of wildlife fencing and gates that guide animals toward the crossings.
“Our house is right at the edge of where they built the underpass,” Miller said. “We've only had, unfortunately, one deer that got hit last week, and in the two years since they finished the gate project, that's the only animal that's been hit on Oracle.”
Christine DeMatteo, another volunteer, called the opportunity to monitor wildlife cameras “a dream come true.” She started helping before the bridge was built and still contributes today.
“I love being part of the solution to a problem that’s going to be ongoing for generations,” she said.
In 2023, the last gaps in the wildlife funnel fencing were completed. That same year, the Coalition launched “Habitat Restoration Days,” an effort to enhance the landscape on and around the bridge and underpass with support from the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area.
“When you're thinking about growth and development and houses and building roads, if you can always incorporate corridors that are linked together...those have a huge landscape scale impact on wildlife and the ecosystem that we're living in,” Moreno said.
An interpretive sign was recently added at the Big Wash Trailhead to educate hikers and visitors about the area’s role as a critical desert corridor. Moreno says outreach and education are key to making sure future generations stay connected to the land—and to the wildlife that called it home long before humans.
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Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
