Month: January 2023

IN THE NEWS: GoGallatin Program Manager on Potential for Ride-Share Partnership, WTI Road Ecology Manager on Benefits of Wildlife Crossings

Posted on January 31st, 2023

outdoor portrait of Matt MadsenGoGallatin Program Manager Highlighted in Mass Transit Magazine

Earlier this month, WTI Research Associate Matthew Madsen discussed the role of trip planning in a Mass Transit Magazine article about Whitefish, Montana’s plan to reduce transportation emissions. Madsen, who is also the GoGallatin Program Manager, presented to the City on a potential partnership with the trip planning platform, “[GoGallatin] is one tool that we can put in the toolbox.”

Find the full Mass Transit article at MT: Example of ride-share program presented for city’s consideration.

WTI Road Ecology Manager Shares Expertise in Montana PBS Report, Colorado News Services

WTI Road Ecology Program Manager Rob Ament shared his expertise on last month’s Montana PBS Reports: IMPACT Ep. 6, which examined the problem of animal-vehicle collisions on the Nation’s roadways. Growing citizen concern and new funding opportunities through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are facilitating the construction of highly effective wildlife crossing structures. Rob discusses the ecological, economic, and safety benefits of these crossing structures, including the incorporation of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials and evolving public sentiment towards wild animals.

Rob also provided input on wildlife crossings during an interview for BIG PIVOTS: Reimagining Colorado’s Highways by the Pagosa Daily Post and Dismantling the Walls to Wildlife in Colorado in The Aspen Times, both of Colorado.

Watch Montana PBS Reports: IMPACT Ep. 6 below:

WTI Schedule for the 2023 TRB Annual Meeting

Posted on January 6th, 2023

Many of WTI’s employees will attend the 2023 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting (January 8-12, Washington, D.C.) to participate in an international collaboration and ideas exchange. They will also share their own research and expertise in poster sessions, lectures, and council meetings.

“Expected to attract thousands of transportation professionals from around the world, the meeting program covers all transportation modes, with sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. Workshops take place on the first and last day of the meeting.” (TRB Annual Meeting Homepage)

If you are attending TRB, we’d love to see you! Join us at any of the events listed on the schedule below.

Sunday, January 8th

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Laura Fay, presiding Low-Volume Roads Sustainable Pavement Design and Rehabilitation Methods (AKD30, AKP30) Workshop 1019 Convention Center, 202A

Monday, January 9th

8:00 AM – 9:45 AM Sajid Raza Statewide GNSS-RTN Systems: Survey of Practice Poster Session 2040, Board Number A203, Presentation Number TRBAM-23-00227 Convention Center, Hall A
8:00 AM – 9:45 AM Laura Fay, presiding Low-Volume Roads Conference Planning Meeting (AKD30) Marriott Marquis, Cherry Blossom (Mezz)
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM Patrick McMahon Blazing Trails in the 21st Century: Using E-Bikes to Map Trail Conditions in National Parks and Beyond Poster Session 3094, Board Number B712, Presentation Number P23-20670 Convention Center, Hall A
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM Charles Gould Laboratories on the Lakes: National Parks in Michigan: Drive, Walk, Ride, and Sail into a Multimodal Future Poster Session 3094, Board Number B713, Presentation Number P23-20672 Convention Center, Hall A
3:45 PM – 5:30 PM Laura Fay

Karalyn Clouser

 Brooms, Blades, and Ice Breakers: Alternative Mechanical Snow Removal Innovations Lectern Session 2188, Presentation Number P23-20151 Convention Center, 102B
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM Natalie Villwock-Witte

Karalyn Clouser

Laura Fay

 Effectiveness of Highway Safety Public Education at Montana Motor Vehicle Division and Vehicle Registration Stations by Streaming a Variety of Safety Content Poster Session 2227, Board Number A110, Presentation Number TRBAM-23-01300 Convention Center, Hall A

Tuesday, January 10th

10:15 AM – 12:00 PM Jamie Sullivan, presiding Impact of Climate Change on Rural Areas Lectern Session 2057, Introduction & Concluding Remarks Convention Center, 115B
10:15 AM – 12:00 PM Patrick McMahon, presenting Towards a proactive climate adaptation model: Long-term access and resilience planning at North Cascades National Park Lectern Session 2057, Presentation #4 – 15 min Convention Center, 115B
10:15 AM – 12:00 PM Ahmed Al-Kaisy Identification of Potential Improvements to the Highway Capacity Manual Methodology for Rural Bicyclists and Bicyclist Classification Poster Session 3148, Board Number B626, Presentation Number TRBAM-23-02602 Convention Center, Hall A
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM Ahmed Al-Kaisy Capacity at All-Way Stop Control Intersections: A Case Study Poster Session 3147, Board Number B617, Presentation Number TRBAM-23-00822 Convention Center, Hall A
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM Sajid Raza

Ahmed Al-Kaisy

 Influence Area at Signalized and Stop-Control Intersections: Operational Analysis Poster Session 3148, Board Number B627, Presentation Number TRBAM-23-01414 Convention Center, Hall A
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM Natalie Villwock-Witte, presiding Transportation Needs of National Parks and Public Lands Committee (AEP20) Marriott Marquis, Liberty Salon K (M4)
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM David Kack, presiding/moderating Performance Assessment of Rural On-Demand Transit Service Lectern Session 3209 Convention Center, 147A

Wednesday, January 11th

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Laura Fay, presiding Low-Volume Roads Committee Meeting (AKD30) Marriott Marquis, Tulip (Mezz)
10:15 AM – 12:00 PM Jamie Sullivan, presiding Rural Issues Coordinating Council (A0040C) Marriott Marquis, Liberty Salon N (M4)

IN THE NEWS: WTI Road Ecology Program Manager: Montreal Presentation Featured in International News Service

Posted on January 6th, 2023

WTI’s Road Ecology Program Manager, Rob Ament, participated in a half-day event, held on the side of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework meetings in Montreal, Canada on December 15, 2022. Hosted by the Infrastructure and Nature Coalition at the Nature Positive Pavilion, Rob led off the session devoted to “Nature Positive Infrastructure: Mainstreaming Biodiversity to Safeguard People and the Planet.”

He focused on Asia’s Linear Infrastructure safeGuarding Nature (ALIGN) Project, funded by USAID and implemented by the World Wildlife Fund and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC). Rob serves as a Senior Conservationist for CLLC and has been instrumental in bringing more international attention to the issue of safeguarding nature during the development of infrastructure, such as roads and railways.

Highlights from Ament’s talk at the event were featured in an article by Sahana Ghosh, “Helping wildlife navigate road and railway infrastructure,” published online by Mongabay, an international news service.

Belonging Project

Posted on January 2nd, 2023

Results: Safety and belonging• Sociology 499: Senior Capstone
• City of Bozeman Community Engagement & Neighborhoods Program
As part of its efforts to improve equity and inclusion, the City of Bozeman is interested in gaining an understanding of what “sense of belonging” means to residents in our community, including the meaning of belonging and the factors that promote or hinder a sense of belonging. The City is especially interested in understanding the perspectives of residents who may have previously been excluded — either intentionally or unintentionally — from city processes and decision making. Students collected and analyzed qualitative interviews from 16 Bozeman residents that are a part of a specific community of interest and provided executive summaries of themes from the interviews.

Student presentations and executive summaries: Belonging In Bozeman Projects

Branch Out Bozeman – Hydrology Layer

Posted on January 2nd, 2023

• Geography 498, Internship
• City of Bozeman, GIS Program, and Gallatin Watershed Council

Branch Out Bozeman is a formal city-wide initiative to protect and enhance areas of Bozeman’s urban forest that have the greatest impact on water quality. The project is a partnership between the City of Bozeman and the Gallatin Watershed Council and supported by a grant from the National Park Service Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.  Two GIS student interns contributed to the creation of a holistic and accurate Hydrology layer to help the City track watershed health over time.  

Projec Information Link: GWC Branch Out Bozeman

Satellite image of project area with the work areas along 11th Ave indicated