Huckleberries: Roadkill cleanup duties shared

And the answer is – Post Falls Highway District. The question from Kootenai County resident Vernon Green: Who should I call to pick up that dead doe that’s been lying beside West Riverview Drive, near Ironwood Lane, for two days? Vernon had contacted the sheriff’s office and the state Department of Fish and Game to no avail. Then, he turned to Huckleberries. “I know everyone’s low on money,” Vernon said. “But you’d think someone would pick the blooming thing up.” I worked the phones to find an answer to Vernon’s question. Seems roadkill responsibilities aren’t clear-cut. Law enforcement or F&Gers are Johnnies-on-the-spot if an animal is seriously hurt and needs to be finished off. But the regional F&G has too broad an area and too few hired hands to handle all roadkill, from Canada to the Mallard-Larkin. The Idaho Department of Transportation does a lot of roadkill heavy lifting for the state, particularly on and near new highways. The Road Warriors pick up hundreds of carcasses per year. But the bloated doe that was bugging Vernon and others Wednesday was smack dab within the jurisdiction of the Post Falls Highway District. Assistant road super Mike Monette had received a coupla calls about the dead animal by the time I called. He was tense. After all, he didn’t have anyone available to perform a “courtesy” service and pick up the decaying carcass. His crew was busy seal-coating. However, he told Huckleberries that he’d personally handle the duty before the day was out.