New Jersey’s Adventures with Wildlife Passages

> 33% of New Jersey’s footprint is developed

Over 11,450 miles of Federal, State or County Roads

How hard is it to cross the road?

Impacts of road mortality on wildlife populations

• It has been estimated that 1 million animals are killed each day in the U.S. by motor vehicles (Lalo, 1987)

• Roads can create complete barriers to wildlife movement. (Seiler, 2003)

• Roadways can impact the long-term viability of wildlife populations. (Langevelde and Jaarsma, 2004)

Animals need to be able to move through the landscape to find food, mates, and other resources.

Presentation

1. Outline New Jersey’s Wildlife Passage Requirements;

2. Summarize how we have implemented the program;

3. Provide a discussion of some of our projects; and

4. Issues moving forward.

Flood Hazard Control Act Requirements as of January 2015

• N.J.A.C. 7:13-12.7 Individual Permits Construction or reconstruction of a new (d)3 or existing bridge (e)3 , culvert, and/or railroad or roadway.

• N.J.A.C. 7:13-9.9, 9.10 GP 9 and 10 A bridge or culvert may also be subject to wildlife passage requirements under N.J.A.C. 7:13- 9.9 (a)3 and 9.10(a)4 where adverse impacts to terrestrial resources

Where a new or existing bridge, culvert, and/or the railroad or roadway it serves would cause or currently causes fragmentation of habitat for terrestrial threatened, endangered, and/or species of special concern, the structure must allow for appropriate wildlife passage.

Key factors in Program implementation

1. Defining extent of terrestrial species of special concern;

2. Defining fragmentation of habitat;

3. Develop wildlife passage design criteria; and

4. Provide these details to the regulated public.

Definition of “Terrestrial Species of Concern”

State or Federally listed threatened or endangered terrestrial species.

State terrestrial species of special concern

List of Terrestrial Species of Concern

Endangered Threatened Special concern

Timber Rattlesnake Wood TurtleNorthern Spring Salamander

Bog Turtle Longtail Salamander Carpenter Frog

Corn Snake Northern Pine SnakeFowler’s Toad

Cope’s Gray Treefrog Eastern Mud SalamanderJefferson Salamander

Queen snake Pine Barrens Treefrog Marbled Salamander

Allegheny Woodrat Eastern Box

Terrestrial Species of Concern Habitat Mapping

Figure FourRoadways determined to fragment habitat:

mapped habitat on both sides of a road crossing

HabitatRoadway with mapped habitat on one side and

Suitable habitat on the other.

Landscape Rank 4

Landscape Rank 1

Proposed bridge or culvert

N.J.A.C. 7:13-12.7 requires a new or existing bridge or culvert to incorporate “a preserved or restored natural bank of sufficient width to allow the species to pass through the structure.”

A bridge or open bottom culvert that spans 1.2 x bankfull width to allow for passage of terrestrial species.

©CEI Engineers

WHAT TYPE OF PASSAGE DOES PROJECT REQUIRE?

Recommended design criteria for wildlife passages.

©CEI

Engineers

1. Span increased to 1.2x bankfull width or greater to incorporate natural bank or reconstructed.

2. Constructed wildlife passage measuring:a. recommended dimensions required on both sides of the culvert/bridge

b. minimum dimensions required on both sides of the culvert/bridge. c. recommended dimensions required on one sides of the culvert/bridge. d. minimum dimensions required on one sides of the culvert/bridge.

Shelf must be above 2-year flood elevation

Shelf cannot be constructed of gabion baskets or rip-rap.

Passage must tie-in with existing bank and be gradual. No steps.

3. Wildlife tunnels (may require associated fencing/guide walls)*

Wildlife Passage Recommendations

Preferred Wildlife Passage

Original Crossing

New Crossing

Hierarchy of Design Standards

Options include:

1. Reduced height of culvert;2. Reduced shelf width;3. Inclusion of only 1 shelf;4. Alternative locations

https://www.nj.gov/dep/landuse/guidance.html (Streams, rivers and floodplains)

So how are we doing?

Implementationexperiences.

To Date we have reviewed 26 projects for the need to includewildlife passages. Of these projects, 12 were able to include suitable passages for terrestrial species of concern.

First Up:successstories.

DOCUMENTED: Landscape Rank 4

FHA SPECIES: wood turtle, bobcat, Eastern box turtle

FRAGMENTATION: YES

• suitable habitat on both sides of road

• road major barrier to wildlife movement

• current culvert not passable for wildlife

SPECIES PASSAGE REQUIREMENTS

• Recommended: 4’ x 4’

• Minimum: 3’ x 3’

Hunterdon County Bridge

Landscape- Rank 4

EXAMPLE: Hunterdon County Bridge

• Span was wide enough to incorporate 3’x 3’ wide passage on both sides of channel

• Passages are constructed artificial banks• native streambank material on top of rip-rap stone

channel protection• temporary sheeting that was cut and will remain in

place to hold passage

• Passages are above 2 year flood elevations

• No exposed rip-rap or gabion baskets

• Passage ties smoothly into existing bank- no steps

No guide-wall or fencing needed since passage within riparian corridor

EXAMPLE: Hunterdon County Bridge

Bedens Brook in Hopewell, Twp., Mercer.

Mercer County Plan

Issues with implementation of our wildlife passage requirements.

• Regulatory requirements to avoid flooding up and downstream the of project location.

• Wildlife design criteria

• Site constraints

• Fencing

Restrictions on up and downstream flooding

FHA Regulations to not allow for more than a 1 ft increase in the 100 year flood elevation 500 feet upstream or downstream of a reconstructed crossing. Less if structures are present and after 500 feet.

SCENARIO 2: Rt. 31 over Furnace Brook

Site constraints. Rt. 173 of West Portal Creek

This site featured steep slopes, a channelized flume up-team and a double culvert design under the road

Atlantic City Expresswayfencing.

Moving forward…..

1. Continue to improve coordination on project needs and design early in the planning process.

2. Look to establish alternatives for problematic crossings such as in lieu fees or modifications to nearby crossings.

3. Try to resolve issues with when and where to use guide fencing.

4. Using mapping tools to identify priority locations and perhaps factor those needs when evaluations options identified under 2 above.