The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that the City of Bozeman has received a planning grant from the Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities. “Bozeman partners with HRDC to hire part-time help for parks planning” describes the collaboration between the City, the Human Resources Development Council, and WTI to gain more input from the public on park and trail access. The grant funds will be used to hire community liaisons who will seek to document the needs of local populations that have been underrepresented in planning discussions in the past. Ultimately, the public feedback will be used to update the City’s parks, recreation, open space and trails plan and an “active transportation” plan.
WTI assisted with the development and submittal of the grant application and will provide technical assistance and training to liaisons, HRDC, and the City of Bozeman.
The United States Forest Service (USFS) has published Highway Crossing Structures for Wildlife: Opportunities for Improving Driver and Animal Safety. The report is the result of a seven-year collaboration by USFS, WTI, ARC Solutions and additional federal, state, and private agencies, combining the work of a team of engineers, ecologists, biologists, landscape architects, and policy experts. Highlights of the report include:
An exploration of the high cost of wildlife-vehicle collisions and the
many challenges to transforming the U.S. road network.
Documentation of the safety, ecological, economic, and social benefits
anticipated to accrue from investing in highway crossings for wildlife,
including enhanced motorist safety, reduced wildlife mortality, and improved
habitat connectivity.
Identification of policy and funding improvements and activities that
would further support the deployment of crossing structures.
Recommendations on how to build upon successful efforts to reduce
wildlife-vehicle collisions already underway at the federal, state, local, and
tribal levels.
WTI Road Ecology Program Rob Ament served as one of the editors for the report, and WTI Research Scientists Tony Clevenger, Marcel Huijser, and Angela Kociolek are contributing authors.
CITATION: Ament, R.; Jacobson, S;
Callahan, R.; Brocki, M., eds. 2021. Highway crossing structures for wildlife:
opportunities for improving driver and animal safety. Gen. Tech. Rep.
PSW-GTR-271. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Pacific Southwest Research Station. 51 p.
WTI is excited to announce two upcoming sessions of the Summer Transportation Camp at Montana State University – free weeklong camps for middle school students.
For: Middle School students
(entering grades 6-9 in Fall 2021)
What: Two weeklong camps at
the MSU Western Transportation Institute (9am – 3pm) to get everyone moving.
Each day camp participants will explore a variety of science, engineering, and
design topics related to promoting active, safe, and sustainable transportation
systems.
Activities will include:
– hands-on design
challenges
– local trail explorations
by bike
– field trips of
discovery
When: June 21-25 and July
12-16, 2021
Cost: Free! There
is no cost to camp participants thanks to a generous grant from the Montana
Department of Transportation (MDT) and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA)
The New York Times has posted an online feature article highlighting excellent footage of wildlife using various forms of highway crossings. “How Do Animals Safely Cross a Highway? Take a Look” includes footage of a herd of antelope crossing a highway in Wyoming; moose, bear, wolves and deer using crossings in Utah; and an alligator and panther using underground passages in Florida. WTI Road Ecologist Marcel Huijser was interviewed for the article in which he discusses that despite the upfront installation costs, wildlife crossings yield significant safety and conservation benefits that save money in the long run. Whisper Camel-Means, a tribal wildlife program manager who collaborated with WTI on US 93 wildlife crossing projects in Montana, was also interviewed for the article.
Stormwater Magazine recently interviewed WTI Road Ecologist Rob Ament on advancements in the use of environmentally friendly products for erosion control. “Saving Mowers and Wildlife” highlights state departments of transportation that are working to replace plastic netting used on roadsides with flexible, biodegradable options. In the article, state DOTs report benefits such as reduced need for removal and disposal of nets, less risk of water contamination, and fewer animals becoming entangled. Ament discusses his research on wool erosion control blankets, which are created from waste wool not suitable for clothing or blanket production. The wool erosion blankets release nitrogen into the soil as they decompose and are showing promising results related to fertilization of the sites where they are used.
