Pennsylvania drivers have a 1-in-59 chance of being involved in an animal-related crash, third-highest in the nation. Wildlife advocates are highlighting efforts to prevent them.

There is an increased risk of deer-related crashes during the peak of whitetail breeding season in Pennsylvania.

Travis Lau, communications director for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, said it's important that motorists slow down in areas known for having wildlife and be aware of their surroundings to avoid accidents.

"Being mindful of the potential for a deer-vehicle collision includes paying particular attention in those areas that are marked with deer-crossing signs. Those are posted in areas that are known to have a high frequency of deer activity and deer crossing roads," Lau said.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, more than 5,800 deer-related crashes were reported in Pennsylvania last year, resulting in over 1,200 injuries and nine fatalities.

Lau added deer populations exist in all of the state's 67 counties and said the state keeps records of the annual harvest of deer by hunters, and the allocation of licenses, which are used for deer management.

"Our staff will physically inspect upwards of 25,000 deer that are harvested by hunters. That goes into building harvest estimates and population estimates and tracking population trends and adjusting license allocations accordingly," he explained.

Lau said the switch to Daylight Saving Time can disrupt deer's natural rhythms, causing them to be more active during times when people are also driving, such as at dusk and dawn.

Jeremy Romero, wildlife connectivity manager with the National Wildlife Federation, said more than 1 million wildlife collisions are reported in the U.S. each year, with injuries and deaths to animals, drivers and passengers. Costs associated with the accidents range between $8 billion and $11 billion annually. He said ecological effects are another concern.

"Wildlife need expansive landscapes, functional landscapes, or what we call permeable landscapes. And roads, fences, development, things like that are all types of fragmentation that decrease connectivity for wildlife to be able to move across the landscapes," Romero explained.

Romero points to good news, though, with the federal government rolling out a new $350 million pilot program. States can apply for grants to pursue safe wildlife-crossing infrastructure.

Ahead of Endangered Species Day this Friday, conservation groups in North Carolina are celebrating the birth of eight red wolf pups at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

Red wolves, once a dominant presence across the Southeastern United States, are now teetering on the brink of extinction, with only 30 confirmed adults living in the wild.

Heather Clarkson, Southeast program outreach representative for Defenders of Wildlife, explained ongoing efforts to revive the population have been met with both hardships and victories.

"We've got a couple of hundred in facilities under human care around the United States," Clarkson noted. "Those wolves that are under human care are a critical part of the recovery program, because they are used to supplement wild populations and wild genetics."

Recovery efforts also include reintroducing red wolves into the wild. According to Clarkson, despite the risks posed by guns and highways, there have been wild wolf litters born in North Carolina for the past three years.

The wild wolf population has ranged from more than 150 animals to as few as 10, within a decade. Clarkson emphasized without the Endangered Species Act, the wolves would not be thriving today.

The red wolf is the only wolf native to the eastern U.S., and once roamed freely from New York to Florida, and even Texas. As the fight continues against extinction, Clarkson stressed the need to expand their current habitats beyond Eastern North Carolina. She argued identifying new release areas is crucial, along with advocacy to push for species expansion and survival.

"A large part of the recovery effort has just been working to re-educate citizens and teach them how to alongside these large carnivores, and accept the understanding that these animals have a place on the landscape," Clarkson stressed. "They have a really critical function in our ecosystems; they keep our wild areas healthy."

Clarkson added safeguarding red wolves is a collective responsibility, with action needed from both state and federal officials. The current red wolf population in captivity stands at 257, with ongoing research to understand their ancestry in the wild.

Groups that fight to recover endangered species are praising the California Fish and Game Commission's decision to change the Mojave Desert tortoise from threatened to endangered under state law.

One study estimates the normally long-lived species has declined quickly in recent years, losing around 155,000 adult animals from 2004 to 2014.

Jeff Aardahl, senior representative for Defenders of Wildlife in California, predicts the official state reptile is on a fast track to extinction.

"There are so few left that tortoises are going to start experiencing very difficult situations in trying to find mates," Aardahl said. "And because of that, the trend is going to keep going down until ultimately, there's no longer any tortoises left."

The biggest threats are development, military base expansion and training, livestock grazing and off-highway vehicle use. Wildlife managers have recorded dozens of animals crushed by OHVs in recent years, especially in critical habitat from Ridgecrest down to Barstow, north up to Fort Irwin and east to the state line.

California draws 2 million off-road vehicle enthusiasts each year.

Aardahl pointed out that a coalition of groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, sued in 2021 to force the Bureau of Land Management to redo its management plan and better protect the Mojave Desert Tortoise.

"There should be some closures during the spring period when most tortoises are above-ground foraging and mating," he stressed. "And then, greatly reducing the miles of routes that intersect with critical habitat."

Land managers fenced off one especially sensitive area around 1980. Since then, the Mojave Desert tortoise population there rose to be six times higher than neighboring areas that are used for off-roading.

The State of Washington is proposing to downgrade gray wolves from "endangered" to "sensitive" status as a species.

At last count, there were 260 gray wolves in Washington, a population which has steadily grown at an average rate of 23% since 2008, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Colin Reynolds, senior adviser for the Northwest program at Defenders of Wildlife, contended changing the gray wolf status could jeopardize the progress. He said in the western two-thirds of the state, gray wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act but in the eastern third, there are no federal protections and wolves are managed by the state.

"Right now in the eastern third of Washington, there are penalties for the illegal killing of gray wolves, and there's also penalties ascribed to that," Reynolds explained. "If the classification goes from 'endangered' to 'sensitive,' as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would like, those penalties are a little bit less, in a number of circumstances."

Reynolds pointed out the gray wolf recovery efforts are guided by the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, adopted in 2011. Since then, wolves have met recovery standards in certain parts of the state but not all, so he argued it is no time to change the rules.

The state countered reclassification is warranted, as gray wolves have seen 15 years of consecutive population growth, data models project it is likely to continue and there are enough state-level protections already in place to keep the population sustainable. Reynolds disagreed.

"We totally recognize and celebrate that the population has grown," Reynolds acknowledged. "But a population growth isn't the same as the recovery standards in the Wolf Plan. We haven't met that geographical distribution."

Reynolds also noted recent instances of gray wolf killings across the West. The deaths of three gray wolves in Oregon prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a $50,000 reward for information about the case.