Backroads backstrap
A law allowing Wyomingites to harvest roadkill goes into effect in 2022.
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BACKSTORY
Wasting resources is frowned upon in Alaska, which is partly why the state has a long tradition of harvesting roadkill for the dinner table (“It’s time to start eating roadkill,” January 2019). Oregon and Washington recently lifted their own roadkill restrictions, and the negative stereotypes around eating roadkill, often involving rural class stigma, are slowly changing, too. Can salvaging become commonplace in the Lower 48, where passersby might not have the desire — or the necessary knowhow — to scoop up freshly killed animals?
FOLLOWUP
A law passed by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon this spring becomes effective in January, making it the next state to legalize harvesting roadkill. Once you request permission via a phone app, you’re free to salvage ungulates and wild turkeys, as long as they were killed accidentally and not on an interstate, construction site or in a national park. “Of course, take that entire carcass because we don't want people field dressing on the side of the road,” spokeswoman Sara DiRienzo told Wyoming Public Radio.
Kylie Mohr is an editorial intern for High Country News writing from Montana. Email her at [email protected] or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.
