Innovative Approaches to Wildlife/Highway Interactions

1. Innovative Approaches to Wildlife/Highway Interactions Using Wildlife Behavior to Design Effective Mitigation

2. Understanding wildlife behavior can help you: • Find the most effective mitigation • Work with an animal’s natural inclinations

3. Formerly successful survival strategies that may not work in today’s environment…

4. Learning Outcomes • Name 3 basic needs that drive animal movement • Describe 4 general behavioral responses to barrier fences

5. Needs that drive animal movement • Food/water • Cover • Thermal • Escape • Reproduction

6. Many needs are not in the same location Daily travels for water Seasonal travel to avoid harsh conditions Annual travel Dispersal of young Seeking mates Movements precipitated by habitat changes

7. Be aware of complementary habitat needs across roads

9. Lake Jackson turtle parade through a culvert

10. Many movements are directional, consistent patterns Can help locate mortality ‘hotspots’ Can help determine whether a seasonal or permanent mitigation approach is needed Shawnee National Forest slotted drain crossing for rattlesnakes

11. Predator avoidance • Cover • Camouflage • Sensory Detection

12. What’s it like to be food for the world? Behavior and biology are tied to antipredator strategies

13. Nobody can see me…

14. …but I can see and hear you

15. Reproduction • Expect greater movement and mortality during breeding season and juvenile dispersal

16. Barrier Fence Behavior

17. Fence Behavior: Climber Mark Ball Anan Interpretive Staff

18. Fence Behavior: Pusher Dave Herr wwwnotes.fs.fed.us/wo/wfrp/find_a_photo.nsf

19. Fence Behavior: Jumper Don Virgovic Alan Dyck

20. Fence Behavior: Digger Dave Herr Dave Herr

21. Activity: Fence Types

22. Activity: Pronghorn • What are some aspects of Pronghorn that cause them to be species at risk from highway impacts? • What type of fence response do they exhibit? • Why do they need to move? • What type of mitigation may be suitable for Pronghorn?

23. Example: Pronghorn characteristics • Detect predators from long distances by sight • Use a visual signal to warn others of danger • Depend on their great speed to outrun predators

24. Example: Pronghorn mitigation issues Pronghorn use few underpasses Pronghorn will crawl under fences but will jump under pressure Overcrossings with arched tops may be ineffective because they can’t see the far side

25. Flat Overcrossing High Bridge Unfenced ROW on lower volume highways Open span bridges outside riparian habitat Min height x width is 18’ x 60 Best Passage Solutions for Pronghorn?

26. Will the Pronghorn Use the Wildlife Crossing Structure? • See www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2006/04/AntelopecrossingatTr.htm • Herd of pronghorn at Trappers Point Bottleneck, Wyoming

27. Questions to ask for your target species (Biological issues) • What does it fear? • Predation? • The unusual or unknown? • How does it avoid danger? • What are its behavioral and morphological defense mechanisms? • What are its primary senses? • Smell, hearing, vision? • Is it gregarious, with a herd leader? • Can it learn easily or is most behavior stereotyped? • Is it curious? • Can it be enticed, tricked, or coerced?

28. Questions to ask for your target species (Movement issues) • What motivates its travel? • What is the intensity of its motivation? • Is travel traditional or highly predictable? • How far will it travel? • Is it high or low mobility? • Do predators push movement?

29. Questions to ask for your target species (Habitat issues) • What habitat elements influence its movement? • Cover? • Terrain, including microhabitat? • Water sources?

30. Learning Outcomes • Name 3 basic needs that drive animal movement • Describe 4 general behavioral responses to barrier fences