Research project for Blandings turtle protection launched.
WTI Research Ecologist Marcel Huijser is in Nebraska this week at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. Marcel (far right in photo) is working with Refuge staff and the Nebraska Department of Roads to launch a project to protect the Blanding’s Turtle. The turtle is threatened by habitat fragmentation and highway mortality, and is listed as […]
Project update: Evaluating Management Options to Increase Roadside Carbon Sequestration
If you see rows of bright orange stakes near the Logan and Bear Canyon exits or near Bozeman Pass along I-90, you are looking at a roadside carbon sequestration experimental plot. WTI’s Rob Ament has been dodging the dodgy spring weather to construct experimental plots to determine if changing three different management practices of roadside […]
Dave Kack Discusses Safety Solutions for Explore Big Sky Magazine.
Big Horn Sheep in Big Sky: The online edition of “Explore Big Sky” recently featured an editorial on the dangers to wildlife and motorists on Highway 64. The article, entitled “Death of an Icon,” quoted WTI Program Manager David Kack, who discussed possible safety solutions for the road through Big Sky. The full article is available […]
WTI publishes “Wildlife Mitigation Opportunities along U.S. Hwy 2, Northwestern Montana.”
WTI has completed the final report for “Wildlife Mitigation Opportunities along U.S. Hwy 2, Northwestern Montana,” a project sponsored by the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. Authored by Marcel Huijser and James Begley, this report explores wildlife issues along U.S. Highway 2 between the Idaho/Montana border and Kalispell. It details the identification and prioritization process […]
U.S. 93 Project Highlighted by Pulitzer Center
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting included a feature article on the effectiveness of wildlife crossing structures or “animal bridges” for reducing the number of collisions between vehicles and large animals. The article highlights WTI’s current project on U.S. 93 in Montana to install 41 crossing structures along 56 miles of highway. WTI researcher Pat […]
WTI evaluates wildlife detection system in Idaho
The Idaho Transportation Department announced that it has started a project in partnership with WTI to test a wildlife detection system on U.S. 95 in northern Idaho. The system uses a Doppler radar sensor to detect large animals on both sides of the road. It activates flashing warning beacons to alert drivers if animals are […]
Rob Ament Co-authors Article in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the journal of the Ecological Society of America, published an article on wildlife crossings co-authored by Rob Ament. “Integrated adaptive designs for wildlife movement under climate change” highlights some of the innovative crossing designs developed by the ARC (Animal Road Crossings) International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition, for which […]
Angie Kociolek Presents Posters During the Annual Raptor Research Foundation Meeting.
Angie Kociolek serves as a co-PI with members from Boise State University on the Feasibility of Mitigating Barn Owl Mortality along Interstate Highways, sponsored by Idaho Transportation Department. Two posters were recently presented at the Raptor Research Foundation Annual Meeting 2014 in Texas.
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Using Wool to Control Roadside Erosion
20 Things You Didn’t Know About……Wool. It hates liquid, loves vapor, and is fire –resistant. And, according to number 12, Montanans use it on the roadside for erosion control! See Rob Ament’s fun shout out in the October 1 issue of Discover Magazine. http://discovermagazine.com/2015/nov/19-20-things-you-didnt-know-about-wool