Photo credit: Reno Sommerhalder Banff National Park, Alberta

NCHRP 25-27 Update:Evaluation of the Use and

Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossings in North America

Patricia Cramer & John Bissonette

USGS – Utah Coop Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University

Objectives Research Tasks

Research Results

Decision Guide

Outline of Presentation

To understand and To understand and communicate ways tocommunicate ways to

*increase the permeability *increase the permeability of the roaded landscape of the roaded landscape for wildlife for wildlife

*to reduce animal-vehicle *to reduce animal-vehicle collisions and overall collisions and overall road associated death of road associated death of wildlifewildlife

NCHRP 25-27 Objective

Photographer unknown

Decision Guide for Mitigating Decision Guide for Mitigating Roads for WildlifeRoads for Wildlife

NCHRP 25-27 Final Product

www.wildlifeandroads.org

Photo credit: R. Sommerhalder Yoho National Park, Trans Canada Highway

Research Team of 9 Ecologists and Engineers

P.I. John Bissonette, PhD

Patricia Cramer, PhD Keith Knapp, PhD, PE

Nancy Newhouse Bhagwant Persaud, PhD, M Eng

Trevor Kinley Craig Lyon, MSSc, M Eng

Anthony Clevenger, PhD Sandra Jacobson, MS

NCHRP 25-27 NCHRP 25-27 Wildlife Wildlife Crossings

Research Tasks

Evaluation of the Use and Effectiveness Evaluation of the Use and Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossingsof Wildlife Crossings

Telephone survey

Priorities

Safety Modeling

Allometric Scaling

Accuracy Modeling

Small Mammal Research

Decision Guide

Research Tasks

Crash- Carcass Modeling

NCHRP 25-27NCHRP 25-27

Safety ModelingSafety Modeling

1) Statistically based analysis of animal-vehicle 1) Statistically based analysis of animal-vehicle collisions help to reduce the 'noise' in the data, collisions help to reduce the 'noise' in the data, leading to more informed decision makingleading to more informed decision making

2) Traffic volume is the most significant predictor 2) Traffic volume is the most significant predictor of crashes in commonly available databasesof crashes in commonly available databases

Bhagwant Persuad, Craig Lyon, Keith Knapp

Research Results

Crash and Carcass Crash and Carcass Magnitude and Pattern Magnitude and Pattern ComparisonComparison

Reported Reported carcass carcass and and crash datacrash data give give different mapping different mapping resultsresults

Keith Knapp, Bhagwant Persaud, Craig Lyon

Research Results

Photo credit: S. Zahner, Caltrans

Accuracy ModelingAccuracy Modeling

Spatially accurate Spatially accurate carcass data (within carcass data (within 3 m) shows different 3 m) shows different results than data to results than data to nearest mile markernearest mile marker

Anthony Clevenger A. Hardy, M. Huijser, K. Gunson, B. Chruszcz

Photo credit: P. Poszig

Wolf on Highway 93 Kootenay National Park, Alberta

Research Results

600 + Terrestrial Passages

10,000+ Aquatic

Wildlife Crossings Wildlife Crossings Patricia Cramer, Nancy Newhouse

Research Results

Photo credit. S. Rosa

Elk using underpass, Utah

Effectiveness of Effectiveness of CrossingsCrossings

Review of 25+ studies findsReview of 25+ studies finds

*All 70 crossings monitored *All 70 crossings monitored passed wildlifepassed wildlife

Patricia Cramer

Research Results

Number One Number One PriorityPriority

Incorporate wildlife Incorporate wildlife mitigation needs mitigation needs earlyearly in the in the transportation transportation planning processplanning process

Photo credit: R. Sommerhalder

Banff National Park, Alberta

The 7 Major Steps to The 7 Major Steps to Creating Wildlife Creating Wildlife

PassagesPassagesConsideration Consideration – ecological & safety reasons– ecological & safety reasons

Selection Selection – the types of mitigation measures– the types of mitigation measures

Configuration Configuration –– dimensions, materialsdimensions, materials

Placement Placement – where on the landscape & road– where on the landscape & road

Monitoring and EvaluationMonitoring and Evaluation

Maintenance Maintenance –– upkeep in perpetuityupkeep in perpetuity

Final Plan and Continued Care Final Plan and Continued Care – it never ends– it never ends

Decision Guidewww.wildlifeandroads.org

Pictures & plans

List of all crossings

Safety Models

Annotated Literature Review, papers, reports

Spatial Accuracy Models

Carcass-Crash Data Analyses Models

Method to scale crossing placements to species size & home range

Links to important websites, documents, & people

Decision Guide wildlife

mitigation

Decision Guidewww.wildlifeandroads.org

Resources AvailableResources Available

Photo courtesy of Kevin Morgan, AZG&F

In SummaryIn Summary

Visit us atVisit us at

www.wildlifeandroads.org