Cost-Effective Approach to Reducing Collisions with Elk by Fencing Between Existing Highway Structures

Gagnon, Jeffrey W.; Loberger, Chad D.; Sprague, Scott; Ogren, Kari S.; Boe, Susan L.; Schweinsburg, Raymond E.

doi:10.26077/z5kk-s204

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The combination of wildlife crossings and fencing has been particularly successful because they reduce WVCs and improve road permeability without requiring changes to traffic flows or speeds (van der Grift et al, 2013). Some reports estimate that wildlife crossings with fencing reduce WVCs by 80%-97% (Clevenger et al, 2001;Gagnon et al, 2015;Sawyer et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the road again: A study valuing wildlife crossings for wetland mitigation on State Road 40 in Volusia County, Florida

Shepherd¹,

Houck²,

Lyon

2023

Ecosphere

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Over the past few decades, wildlife crossings have effectively reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions and improved habitat connectivity and genetic exchange for animals. However, wildlife crossings are expensive to construct, and the cost may discourage transportation agencies from implementing new wildlife crossings on public roadways. Additionally, transportation agencies and planners rarely consider the permitting and mitigation costs that wildlife crossings can require. A road profile must be raised to accommodate a wildlife underpass on many Florida roadways, particularly in low-lying areas.Raising the road can result in new wetland impacts that would not occur but for the wildlife crossing. Consequently, new or more compensatory wetland mitigation may be required to satisfy § 404 of the Clean Water Act-a cost to the transportation agency and taxpayers. We used Florida's Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method (UMAM) to calculate the value of functions in habitats before and after planned wildlife crossings on State Road 40 in Volusia County, Florida. The results of our analysis show that wildlife crossings will enhance the functions in remnant habitats adjacent to the wildlife crossings, generating wetland mitigation credits that reduced the amount of compensatory wetland mitigation required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Our case study provides a novel application of the UMAM in valuing wildlife crossings. We believe the UMAM can be used in cost-benefit models and transportation planning to determine the functional value of new wildlife crossings, thereby producing a monetary value that can incentivize new wildlife crossing projects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the road again: A study valuing wildlife crossings for wetland mitigation on State Road 40 in Volusia County, Florida

Shepherd¹,

Houck²,

Lyon

2023

Ecosphere

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Policy-making for peri-urban landscapes as arenas of human-wildlife interactions

Roth,

Kleemann,

Spyra

2024

Urban Ecosyst

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Peri-urban landscapes are transitional areas between urban and rural areas that are constantly changing. They are characterised by land use mixes and land cover changes, leading to significant changes in wildlife habitats. These changes, combined with an increasing anthropogenic presence, turn peri-urban landscapes into arenas of intensified human-wildlife interactions. In many scientifically documented cases, scientists are focusing on negative interactions. Furthermore, research about appropriate policy instruments for managing human-wildlife interactions is rare. This study focused on case studies and their characteristics from around the world on positive, neutral, or negative interactions between humans and wildlife at local level. In addition, influencing factors of human-wildlife interactions and policy instruments for managing human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes were addressed. A survey was conducted with an international group of scientists and practitioners working in this field. The results showed that various species were involved in human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes worldwide, with mammals as being the most common taxon. Contemporary changes in land use and land cover could be identified as a significant factor for increasing human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes. It can be highlighted that a policy mix consisting mainly of social and cultural instruments in combination with legal and regulatory instruments could be most suitable to address this situation.

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The effectiveness of decommissioning roadside mineral licks on reducing moose (Alces alces) activity near highways: implications for moose–vehicle collisions

et al. 2021

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Roadside mineral licks form when road salt used to de-ice highways in winter runs off road surfaces and accumulates in roadside ditches. Some ungulates are attracted to these roadside licks as they seek to satisfy their mineral requirements. Within the distribution of moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758)) in North America, motorists often encounter moose visiting roadside licks in mid-summer, with many jurisdictions reporting summer peaks in moose-vehicle collisions (MVCs) at these locations. Our research used camera traps to monitor moose visitation of 22 roadside locations (including roadside licks, roadside ponds, and dry roadsides) in central British Columbia, Canada from December 2009–July 2020, tested the efficacy of treatment (decommissioning) methods used to reduce moose visitation to roadside licks, and roughly estimated decommissioning costs. Moose visitation to roadside licks was greatest from May–July. As we hypothesized, untreated licks were visited more often by moose than decommissioned licks, roadside ponds (absent of road salt), and dry roadsides. Decommissioning roadside licks by replacing or mixing lick waters and soils with materials, such as riprap, cedar mulch, pine logs, or dog (Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758)) fur and human (Homo sapiens (Linnaeus, 1758)) hair, is an effective and inexpensive means of reducing moose visitations to roadside areas and should increase motorist safety where roadside licks are visited by moose.

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Cost-Effective Approach to Reducing Collisions with Elk by Fencing Between Existing Highway Structures

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

On the road again: A study valuing wildlife crossings for wetland mitigation on State Road 40 in Volusia County, Florida

On the road again: A study valuing wildlife crossings for wetland mitigation on State Road 40 in Volusia County, Florida

Policy-making for peri-urban landscapes as arenas of human-wildlife interactions

The effectiveness of decommissioning roadside mineral licks on reducing moose (Alces alces) activity near highways: implications for moose–vehicle collisions

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