Significant amphibian declines have occurred in protected areas not subjected to obvious changes in habitat (e.g., national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas). Because many reptiles and amphibians use both aquatic and terrestrial habitat for breeding, development, foraging, and overwintering, they require high levels of connectivity within and between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. As a result, amphibians and reptiles are particularly sensitive to the negative effects of roads, such as direct road mortality and habitat fragmentation, because of their slow movements, small size, and propensity to travel long distances. They also do not avoid roads, and, as ectotherms, snakes and lizards are often attracted to sun-warmed pavement. Deaths due to vehicles collisions are causing detrimental population effects by reducing genetic diversity and population abundance.
This project will develop road crossing and barrier fencing system designs that can be customized for specific species of concern in the United States. This work will focus on requirements gathering, a literature review, field assessments, stakeholder outreach, developing design requirements, assessment of current designs, and developing conceptual designs on behalf of the National Park Service. The follow-on research project will focus on developing detailed designs, a constructability review, and evaluative monitoring. A number of the crossings constructed in next few years will be selected for long-term monitoring program.
Benefits: The results of this project will contribute to more effective design and implementation of mitigation measures aimed at reducing direct road mortality and improving habitat connectivity across roads for a wide range of amphibian and reptile species.
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