racoons eat a lot of birds, and birds are what environmentalists have wanted to save. So once again the enviromentalists were wrong on he impact of legacy highway.

I say once again, when the Alaska pipeline was built the environmentalists opposed it on the basis it would hurt the caribou, actually the caribou loved it, they come near it in the winter because they appreciate the heat from the pipeline.

So much for radical environmentalism.

Are we paying to clean up small road kill?
I mean this is not big game that will cause an accident.

Redwood Road from 2100 north in SL to 500 South in BTFL has been this way for years , what is the big deal?

Anytime humans interact with an ecosystem, change will happen.

How did the raccoons enter the ecosystem in the first place?

A lower speed limit of 55 mph along with a restriction of semis were intended to minimize the effect of the highway.

The effect of the highway on the nesting habits of migratory birds will not be determined until one nesting season is completed and studied.

Wow, first poster, you are bloodthirsty. You don't have to be a radical environmentalist to feel bad for raccoons killed on the parkway..

How on earth did nature get along for all those millions of years without enjoying the benefits of our cars and roads?

Bring 'em all over. We'll take all we can git.

What do republicans and communists have in common? They both disregard the environment. Both have nearly ruined habitable environments, until environmentalists step in and make them keep areas clean.

What an ignoble way for an animal to die, crushed by a speeding ton of metal and plastic.

We should do something to help these poor animals, perhaps a gov't program to catch them and house them safely in cages. Where they can live their lives out in dignity. Rather than be killed by passing cars.

What about all the bugs getting slaughtered by passing cars? Is this helping Mosquito Abatement with their efforts?

Racoons are not a natives species, they are an Invasive Species here in Utah and need to be removed. They eat the eggs and young of most nesting birds and other native species.

We've lost many of the natural preditors for raccoons so if not kept in check they become a nuisance. It's sad to see the cute little raccoons laying out on the highway, but you have to keep things in perspective. If that many are on the roadway, consider how many are not. They are like roaches and mice. If you see one... It's not like they say to one another, "Hey, there's a new highway over there, let's all go take a look!"

that poor mink was let go by the environmentalist whacko 'people eating tasty animals' (PETA) folks.

"To "That poor mink"......
ANOTHER gov't program? Please no!

We need to tear up every road in this country and only allow people to use horses and covered wagons- wait, then we'd be abusing horses. OK, lets go back even further then before the wheel was invented!

This is an excellent opportunity for someone to collect these critters and to get into the coonskin cap business.

The environmentalists actually accomplished something beneficial for a change. They wanted to save the birds that are native to the wetlands and area. The Highway is contributing to killing some racoons, which are a large threat to the native birds in the area. It wasn't how they planned it, but the Legacy Highway is helping to save the birds. Now we need to work on fixing the snowmobile restrictions in Yellowstone...

The raccoon in the picture looks to me like he is just playing possum.

Are racoons good to eat? The fur can be tanned and used for many things -- hats, shoes, coats etc. How about a hunting season for the hunters to harvest racoons? The state can sell permits that will pay for the clean up.

I think once the coons 'adapt' to the highway and deaths go down, they should raise the speed limit up to 65, or even faster the racoons wouldnt know what to do and would get gutted like fishes all over again

"What do republicans and communists have in common? They both disregard the environment. Both have nearly ruined habitable environments, until environmentalists step in and make them keep areas clean."
Been to Chicago, Los Angeles or San Francisco lately? Are you going to tell us these strongholds of the Democratic party are examples of what SLC should be striving for? To hold up Democrats as an example of all that is good in the world is ludicrous.

Isn't this just a case of natural selection at work?

The raccoons moved into a new hunting ground and effected a change on the ecosystem. Man, the more evolved and much more efficient hunter, fills the niche of predator for the raccoon by trapping. [And the article leaves us wondering where the trapped 'critters' go; is this a relocation or eradication program?] So the fittest of the raccoons - those smart enough to stay out of the traps - survive and breed.

Now with the highway-crossing challenge added to the eccosystem the raccoons face another test of fitness. This will result in a population of highly intelligent raccoons capable of safely crossing the highway and avoiding traps.

They may become so smart that we will have to implement an annual raccoon hunting season.

If man is the highest evolved species then man is part of the ecosystem. The dead animals along the roadway are doing their part to help their species evolve to a higher level. Man cannot, nor should he, remain neutral in this process of natural selection.

I had a momma raccoon and 5 baby racoons in my chimney this last spring. I called everywhere(City and County animal control, Divsion of Wildlife, local pest control company, SL County Sherriff and humane society) to see who would take them but no one would. Everyone said they are a pest and not a native of Utah and that I had to get rid of them myself. It was sad but I can't have raccoons living in my chimney.

They were introduced by humans to Utah. I am not sure on the reason, but have heard it was to train hunters. They did not migrate here. They set up shop. They have not indigenous predators in Utah and that allows them to breed excessively and destroy other species in Utah. I have caught two raccoons in my garage and took them to animal control where they were gassed.

About 15 years ago, a recently retired top administrator of the Utah Department of Natural Resources explained to me that raccoons had been brought to Utah and released into the Wasatch foothills to provide prey for their "coon" dogs. When I first encountered raccoons, I found them to be extremely fascinating creatures. Since then, tho, I seen wreckage they can do to gardens, garbage cans and dumpsters, and the electrical wiring in the crawl-spaces, walls, and attics of houses. Raccoons are not native to Utah; they have no natural "enemies" here. They are intelligent enough to evade most "humane" trapping methods. Folks attempting to deal with the onslaught of raccoons find very little help from local animal control agencies and hiring private professionals is expensive. As to the raccoons being killed on the Legacy Parkway, I suspect the slaughter will soon diminish as the little critters begin to fashion little orange flags that they'll carry in their little hand-like paws to be able to cross they highway in safety. More seriously, raccoons represent a problem that will only get worse without some coordinated effort that might include monetary "bounties" and better assistance to people trying to deal raccoon attacks.

an answer to our prayers! just catch them, and cook em up! you don't need a license to hunt racoons, and with the recession, we could all use a little free food!

Give it a little time and the problem will correct itself. Just swerve to hit the little critters and shorten the time frame!

I get a lot of "roadkill" on my windshield every day. Could I please get the Department of Natural Resources to clean my windshield at every rest stop?

If these animals are being picked up every day (therefore pretty fresh kills) can they be given as food to some of the animals at the zoo, etc. Also, deer which have been hit and killed?

As long as I can get somewhere faster and not have to sit in traffic, I'll give up my weekend past time of looking for the beautiful wildlife...like Racoons!!! Small price to pay for the convenience of thousands of people.

Sounds like more people need to start driving on Legacy Highway so we can help these birds. If you're going to drive, do it in a way the helps the environment.

I'm glad we built this highway to help the birds. I wonder why Rocky Anderson hates birds so much that he delayed the building of the road. For not being native, these racoons are everywhere!

I live in Davis County and there are raccoons everywhere and they get into everything. I am not surprised that they take such heavy toll on the bird population. May I suggest that we build another Legacy Highway parallel the first one to further help the environment.

I fail to understand the relevance that raccoons are not native to UT and therefore deserve to be hit by cars. Humans are not native to UT either. So don't be appalled when there are no skid marks when I run you over.

Honestly! Have a little compassion. They are still God's creatures and they deserve to coexist with us just as anything else does. After all, THEY didn't transplant themselves here. Man did. So man should pay the consequences for such a poor decision. Not them.

I say we just build another highway through the area and raise the speed limit, or at least add another lane or two.

too. They are not cute, cuddley critters. They are vicious and nasty. The more that get killed the better. Compassion? Do we welcome mice, rats, snakes, etc into our homes? Those critters at least have a place in Utah's OUTDOOR ecosystem. The racoons DON'T.

Way to try to cover up your stupid road. It was a bad idea to put the road in this sensitive area anyway. Why don't we have racoon hunting season at the GSL then?

All stupidity aside, we can not have a sustainable community with road, roads, and more roads as our major form of transportation. Especially when we are tearing through sensitive areas. We need to focus more on TRANSIT!!!! TRAX, Frontrunner... Good ideas. Legacy Parkway... Bad Idea.

What surprises me is that an invasive non-native, imported species is the subject of a NEWS article. Who decided this was worth coverage? Warm fuzzy animal huggers should realize racoons are messy and dangerous. If they want to stop small furry mammals from becoming road kill they should do something about stray cats and the people who allow their non neutered pets to wander.