Elk injures motorcyclist on North Gate Blvd.

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A mule deer crosses a road on the Air Force Academy March 8, 2007. Vehicle collisions with wildlife are the second-leading cause of accidents on the Academy, which has a deer population of about 250 and an elk population of roughly 35. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)
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Elk injures motorcyclist on North Gate Blvd.

Posted 7/1/2011 Updated 7/1/2011

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by Don Branum
U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs

7/1/2011 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A motorcyclist was injured when an elk collided with his vehicle on North Gate Boulevard west of Stadium Boulevard June 29 at approximately 7:30 a.m.

Casey Green, an equipment manager with the Air Force Academy Athletics Department, was treated at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs and released.

Dr. Brian Mihlbachler, a natural resource planner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who works with the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron's Natural Resources flight, said some accidents with wildlife are unavoidable, recalling a close call of his own.

"I ride a motorcycle every day," he said. "I was scanning ahead and along the roadside because I could see deer ahead, (when) another deer came out of the forest behind me and ran diagonally across my path about five feet in front of my bike going 45 mph. I didn't even have time to down-shift or brake."

The number of collisions has decreased in recent years Dr. Mihlbachler said. Natural Resources recorded 237 vehicle-animal collisions from 2001 to 2010, compared to 401 from 1991 to 2000.

However, wildlife-vehicle collisions are still the second-leading cause of accidents at the Academy, and most of them are preventable, said Lt. Col. Jennifer Stokes, the Academy's chief of safety. Inattentive driving, such as speeding or talking on a cellphone while driving, may be a factor in many of these accidents.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has several tips for driving safely in areas frequented by wildlife. Drivers should stay alert, especially at dawn and dusk, which are the most active times of the day for deer and elk. Upon spotting one animal, a driver should stay alert for others. After dark, he should keep an eye out for the shining of deer eyes reflecting vehicles' headlights.

"The most important thing drivers can do ... is slow down," said former Colorado State Patrol chief Mark Trostel in a 2006 CSP press release. "At night time, don't over-drive your lights: speeding diminishes the reaction time from when an animal first appears in your headlights." Drivers who encounter an animal already in the road should brake, not swerve, as animals may take off in a different direction without warning.

The Academy's deer population numbers around 250, while the elk herd comprises about 35 animals, Dr. Mihlbachler said. Other animals that can pose a risk to motorcyclists or other drivers include foxes, coyotes, wild turkeys, bobcats, black bears and mountain lions.

The hazard doesn't end at the installation fence, though. Since 2009, 29 animal-vehicle collisions have occurred on Interstate 25 and other roads near the Academy, said CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson.

"When it comes to local wildlife hazards, I don't think the Academy is all that unique," Dr. Mihlbachler said. "There's a lot of habitat and wildlife in the Palmer Lake, Monument and Black Forest areas, and drivers should have their 'radar' up at all times when driving in these areas."

(Ethan Davis from the Academy's Safety Directorate contributed to this report.)