Ted Grudowski

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Cascade Crossroads: a new documentary project

I'm extremely excited to have been commissioned by the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition to create a documentary that details an amazing story that is unfolding at Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Working with producing partners Kris Browne and Sandy Asher, the documentary will be about how a broad coalition of environmental organizations, the US Forest Service and other government agencies, and Washington State Department of Transportation collaborated to incorporate wildlife bridges into major highway improvements on Interstate 90, one of the Pacific Northwest's major transportation corridors.  The highway intersects with a critical wildlife corridor that connects protected lands like Mount Rainier National Park and Alpine Lakes Wilderness, cutting through the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.  It's a connection that is even more important with the effects of climate change now in evidence.

While the documentary is currently in the earliest stages, filming will be happening throughout the summer of 2016 and beyond, with simultaneous efforts in fundraising commencing now as well. For information on how to contribute, please visit the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition web site.

You can also follow the progress of both the project and the documentary here and at the Cascade Crossroads Facebook page. Additional information about the project can be found on the WSDOT web site.

Here's a recent photo of the progress on the first wildlife overpass---a bridge dedicated for wildlife to cross over the highway, complete with native vegetation, which will be completed in 2018.