We will use wildlife-vehicle crash and carcass removal data that we will obtain from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) for the on-system routes and roads that large wild mammal carcasses have been collected along in Gallatin County, Montana, USA. The crash and carcass records should relate to animals that were hit by vehicles in 10 full recent calendar years (or close to the most recent 10 calendar years that data are available for). We will select the records that relate to large wild mammals only (i.e. larger than coyote) as collisions with small species are unlikely to be consistently included in the crash and carcass removal data. Records that relate to domestic species (e.g., livestock, horses, dogs, sheep, etc.) will also be removed.
We will then combine the crash and carcass removal data into a single new parameter by excluding potential duplicates that are close in time and space (we will follow the procedure by Fairbank et al. in prep. for US Hwy 89). The new parameter (crash and carcass data combined) will then be used to identify and prioritize the road sections that have the highest concentration of large wild mammal-vehicle collisions.
The road sections with a relatively high concentration of large wild mammal-vehicle collisions may then later be reviewed for potential future mitigation measures that are aimed at:
This project will identify road segments in Gallatin County with high rates of collisions between vehicles and large wild mammals. These road segments will then be assessed for mitigation measures that will reduce the number of collisions and provide safe passages for large wild mammals and other species in the area.
Benefits: If and when measures are implemented along selected road sections, the measures will result in improved human safety, improved connectivity for wildlife, and reduced costs associated with collisions.
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