A stunning diversity of wildlife has returned to suburban Atlanta with the establishment of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area system. We also hike, grill, swim and recreate in these beautiful areas.

But animals like geese, deer, otter and beavers are in peril from close by roads, and road kills are sadly all too common. Even relatively uncommon animals like beaver and otter that are only just now returning to formerly inhabited areas in the suburbs are sometimes killed, I've seen beaver and otter hit and killed on Azalea Dr.  Vickery Creek rec area. Above is a picture I took only this last week of an otter that was struck and killed by a car.

Not only is this situation devastating to wildlife, it's dangerous for people. Deer struck by cars can and do kill the drivers. 

A simple and cost efffective solution would be to install some sort of wildlife crossing. This could be as simple as small culverts installed underneath adjacent roads every so often, there are many options for allowing wildlife safe passage across roads. 

But the first step is to get Roswell Parks and Recreation, Visitor Center, and the National Park Service to recognize that, despite the amazingly successful and beautiful system of parks they have created here, there's a problem with animals being hit by cars and we need to come up with a good solution as a community.