Evaluation of Wildlife Crossing Structures and Fencing on US Highway 93 Evaro to Polson

Evaluation of Wildlife Crossing Structures and Fencing on US Highway 93 Evaro to Polson PDF Author: Amanda Ruth Hardy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Roads
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
The US 93 reconstruction project on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwest Montana represents one of the most extensive wildlife sensitive highway design efforts to occur in the continental United States. The reconstruction will include installations of 42 fish and wildlife crossing structures and approximately 15 mi (24 km) of wildlife exclusion fencing for a total investment of over 9 million dollars. This report documents the success of using a context sensitive approach to collaboratively redesign a rural highway within a multiple use landscape that accommodates the needs and concerns of different institutions, cultures and priorities. Further, this report introduces baseline field data collection methods and results that are being used to evaluate how the wildlife crossing structures and wildlife fencing affect deer and bear vehicle collisions and movements in a multiple use rural landscape. The preconstruction data summarized here, and in combination with complementary post construction data, will address the following goals of the evaluation study: (1) determine what effect US 93 wildlife crossing structures and fencing have on the frequency of animal vehicle collisions and successful animal highway crossings; (2) document the design decision making processes and lessons learned as a case study; and (3) identify best management practices and further research. These issues are addressed via a literature review of important considerations related to locating, designing, and evaluating the effectiveness of wildlife crossings and exclusion fencing; a case study and project history; summary and synthesis of field data collection efforts; overview of other relevant and repeatable field studies; and a discussion about the measures of effectiveness and post-construction data collection recommendations. The ultimate value of the information in this report will be realized when the reconstruction is complete and post construction field data is collected to comparatively assess the effect of the wildlife mitigation on the parameters of interest identified in the goals. Perhaps one of the most important insights gained from the preconstruction research is that, due to the myriad sources of unquantifiable variation in the environment, many years of monitoring are necessary to make valid inferences. Given the paucity of long term, before after field studies assessing the effects of wildlife exclusion fencing and crossing structures on wildlife and driver safety, the US 93 wildlife mitigation evaluation, when completed, will provide useful results, lessons learned, and best management practices to guide other wildlife mitigation efforts in the future.

US Highway 93 Ninepipe/Ronan Improvement Project

US Highway 93 Ninepipe/Ronan Improvement Project PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 694

Book Description


Integrating Transport Infrastructures with Living Landscapes

Integrating Transport Infrastructures with Living Landscapes PDF Author: Andreas Seiler
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288945990X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 155

Book Description


Safe Passages

Safe Passages PDF Author: Jon P. Beckmann
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597269670
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 419

Book Description
Safe Passages brings together in a single volume the latest information on the emerging science of road ecology as it relates to mitigating interactions between roads and wildlife. This practical handbook of tools and examples is designed to assist individuals and organizations thinking about or working toward reducing road-wildlife impacts. The book provides: an overview of the importance of habitat connectivity with regard to roads current planning approaches and technologies for mitigating the impacts of highways on both terrestrial and aquatic species different facets of public participation in highway-wildlife connectivity mitigation projects case studies from partnerships across North America that highlight successful on-the-ground implementation of ecological and engineering solutions recent innovative highway-wildlife mitigation developments Detailed case studies span a range of scales, from site-specific wildlife crossing structures, to statewide planning for habitat connectivity, to national legislation. Contributors explore the cooperative efforts that are emerging as a result of diverse organizations—including transportation agencies, land and wildlife management agencies, and nongovernmental organizations—finding common ground to tackle important road ecology issues and problems. Safe Passages is an important new resource for local-, state-, and national-level managers and policymakers working on road-wildlife issues, and will appeal to a broad audience including scientists, agency personnel, planners, land managers, transportation consultants, students, conservation organizations, policymakers, and citizens engaged in road-wildlife mitigation projects.

Reimagining the More-Than-Human City

Reimagining the More-Than-Human City PDF Author: Jamie Wang
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262381419
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Book Description
An exploration of the multifaceted urban environmental issues in Singapore through a more-than-human lens, calling for new ways to think of and story cities. As climate change accelerates and urbanization intensifies, our need for more sustainable and livable cities has never been more urgent. Yet, the imaginary of a flourishing urban ecofuture is often driven by a specific version of sustainability that is tied to both high-tech futurism and persistent economic growth. What kinds of sustainable futures are we calling forth, and at what and whose expense? In Reimagining the More-Than-Human City, Jamie Wang attempts to answer these questions by critically examining the sociocultural, political, ethical, and affective facets of human-environment dynamics in the urban nexus, with a geographic focus on Singapore. Widely considered a model for the future of urbanism and an emblematic new world city, Singapore, Wang contends, is a fascinating site to explore how modernist sustainable urbanism is imagined and put into practice. Drawing on field research, this book explores distinct and intrarelated urban imaginaries situated in various sites, from the futuristic, authoritarian Supertree Grove, positioned as a technologically sustainable solution to a velocity-charged and singular urban transportation system, to highly protected nature reserves and to the cemeteries, where graves and memories continue to be exhumed and erased to make way for development. Wang also attends to more contingent yet hopeful alternatives that aim to reconfigure current urban approaches. In the face of growing enthusiasm for building high-tech, sustainable, and “natural” cities, Wang ultimately argues that urban imaginings must create space for a more relational understanding of urban environments.

Human-Wildlife Conflict Management

Human-Wildlife Conflict Management PDF Author: RUSSELL F. REIDINGER
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421445255
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Book Description
The book covers important human-wildlife topics such as: individual-, population-, and ecosystem-level effects; survey techniques; management methods; human dimensions; economic issues; legal and political aspects; damage management strategiesFeaturing explanations of important terminology and pertinent biological and ecological concepts, Reidinger shares the latest research, provides a plethora of real-world examples, and includes suggestions for additional resources.

Construction of Wildlife Crossing Structures and Fencing on Highways

Construction of Wildlife Crossing Structures and Fencing on Highways PDF Author: R. E. D. Dot RED DOT PUBLICATIONS
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781549978524
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 213

Book Description
How wildlife crossing structures and wildlife fencing affect animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) and wildlife movements in a multiple-use rural landscape. This study details the preconstruction field study efforts and the history of the reconstructiondesign process. The summary recaps each chapter in the main report including the literature review, project history and case study, the preconstruction field study, other preconstruction road ecology research efforts, measures of effectiveness and post-construction monitoring recommendations, and final conclusions.

Wildlife Damage Management

Wildlife Damage Management PDF Author: Russell F. Reidinger Jr.
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421409453
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Book Description
A complete guide to preventing and resolving problems associated with wildlife-human interactions. Whether you are a student in a wildlife degree program or a professional wildlife biologist, you will find all the up-to-date information on wildlife damage in the pages of this clear, comprehensive text. Wildlife Damage Management covers every imaginable topic including: • pertinent biological and ecological concepts • individual-, population-, and ecosystem-level effects • survey techniques • management methods • human dimensions • economic issues • legal and political aspects • damage management strategies Authors Russell F. Reidinger, Jr., and James E. Miller explain the evolution of wildlife damage management, differentiate facts from myths, and detail the principles and techniques a professional biologist needs to know. The book discusses native as well as exotic invasive species, zoonotic diseases, hazards to endangered or threatened fauna and flora, and damage to crops, livestock, and property. Reidinger and Miller argue that, in recent years, the rate of undesirable human-wildlife interactions has risen in many areas, owing in part to the expansion of residences into places formerly wild or agricultural, making wildlife damage management even more relevant. From suburban deer eating gardens and shrubs, to mountain lions threatening pets and people, to accidentally introduced species outcompeting native species, Reidinger and Miller show how proper management can reduce wildlife damage to an acceptable, cost-effective level. An extensive section on available resources, a glossary that explains terms and concepts, and detailed figures will aid both students and seasoned professionals. Instructors will find this text arranged perfectly for a semester-long course. The end-of-chapter questions will allow students to ponder the ways wildlife damage management concepts can be put into practice. For those already working in the field—biologists and managers with federal, state, or international agencies—Wildlife Damage Management will serve as an ideal reference book. Destined to set the tone of wildlife damage conversations for the next decade and beyond, Reidinger and Miller belongs on the shelf of all wildlife professionals.

Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossings in Reducing Animal/auto Collisions on Interstate 75, Big Cypress Swamp, Florida

Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossings in Reducing Animal/auto Collisions on Interstate 75, Big Cypress Swamp, Florida PDF Author: Melissa L. Foster
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bobcat
Languages : en
Pages : 136

Book Description


An Evaluation of Wildlife Crossing Design, Placement, Costs, and Funding Opportunities for Corridor Q

An Evaluation of Wildlife Crossing Design, Placement, Costs, and Funding Opportunities for Corridor Q PDF Author: Bridget M. Donaldson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Elk--Virginia
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Construction is underway along Corridor Q, a 14-mile section of highway in Southwest Virginia that will open to traffic in stages from 2023 to 2027. Preliminary data indicated that a newly established reintroduced herd of elk regularly travels on and alongside the partially constructed road. The purpose of this study was to determine potential design, placement, costs, and funding opportunities for wildlife crossing structures on Corridor Q should the decision be made to pursue this option to reduce the potential risk for elk-vehicle collisions. A criteria-based method was applied to 0.5-mile road segments to determine suitable locations for a series of crossing structures. Evaluated criteria included elk location data, surrounding land use, landscape features that encourage elk movement, roadside topography for cost-effective structure placement, and structure spacing decisions. Elk location data were obtained from 12 collared female elk in the “Corridor Q herd” (hereinafter “Corridor Q elk”). These locations were evaluated to determine elk use of the road segments, home range sizes and locations relative to the road, and habitat selection probability. Findings indicated that the use of the landscape by the elk herd has been shaped by the construction of Corridor Q. Approximately 38 percent of the 26,659 locations of the collared elk were within 200 meters of the nearly completed road sections, which provide elk an efficient means of travel to preferred habitat that is abundant along the roadside. Home ranges of all 12 collared elk overlapped with portions of Corridor Q road segments. Home ranges were shaped similarly to the partially constructed sections of Corridor Q, indicating the elk’s heavy use of the road to access preferred areas of habitat on both sides of the corridor. Distance to barren land, herbaceous cover, and shrub cover had the largest influence on elk habitat selection, all of which are a product of road construction and are distributed linearly along the roadway. Construction costs per wildlife crossing structure and associated fencing were estimated to be 5 .5 to 5 .7 million dollars. If funding were pursued for wildlife crossing construction, contingency costs and inflation would raise the estimate to a range of 8 .2 million dollars (for a bid year of 2025) to 9 .8 million dollars (for a bid year of 2028). With an average elk crash valued at 8 0,771 dollars and a deer crash at 4 1,338 dollars, 2.8 elk crashes or 5.4 deer crashes per year would have to be avoided per structure for the crash reduction benefits to begin exceeding the cost of a structure and fencing. This study demonstrated an effective means of incorporating both quantitative elements and qualitative considerations into wildlife crossing design, placement, and cost considerations. If wildlife crossings are pursued for Corridor Q, the study recommends that the Virginia Department of Transportation consider the structure design and location options provided in this report.