Special Projects
WTI and a diverse group of international partners have launched ARC, the North American Wildlife Crossing Structure Design Competition.
1. ARC: North American Wildlife Crossing Structure Design Competition WTI and a diverse group of international partners have launched ARC to spur new ideas, materials and methods in the design of the next generation of wildlife overpasses.
Visit ARC arc.pdf
2. Division Street: A Documentary Film About Road Ecology WTI supported Erik Bendick from MSU's Graduate Film Program to produce a provocative film on roads and nature.
Division Street Movie
3. Video Clips: Wildlife Images Captured Using Wildlife Crossings Our cameras have been placed near wildlife underpasses for a research project in Banff National Park, Canada resulting in interesting images of large mammals using the wildlife crossings.
4. Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife and Habitat Connectivity.
Road Ecologists at WTI are editing a book and writing chapters describing the latest efforts to mitigate highways for fish and wildlife. The publisher Island Press is scheduled to release it in Spring 2010.
5. Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores
Western Transportation Institute’s Dr. Robert Long and Paula MacKay, based out of WTI's Ellensburg, WA office, are the lead editors of this book on field methods to collect data on carnivores.
The status of many carnivore populations is of growing concern to scientists and conservationists, making the need for data pertaining to carnivore distribution, abundance, and habitat use ever more pressing. Recent developments in “noninvasive” research techniques—those that minimize disturbance to the animal being studied—have resulted in a greatly expanded toolbox for the wildlife practitioner.
Presented in a straightforward and readable style, Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores is a comprehensive guide for wildlife researchers who seek to conduct carnivore surveys using the most up-to-date scientific approaches. Twenty-five experts from throughout North America discuss strategies for implementing surveys across a broad range of habitats, providing input on survey design, sample collection, DNA and endocrine analyses, and data analysis. Photographs from the field, line drawings, and detailed case studies further illustrate on-the-ground application of the survey methods discussed.
The book is available at Amazon.com or via Island Press.
6. WTI Seeking Partners for New Fish Passage Project
WTI is actively seeking additional partners for research to determine scientifically valid, volitional swimming abilities of westslope cutthroat trout and rainbow trout that reside in the Northern Rockies Ecosystem. This project will aid fish passage practitioners with better assessments, designs, retrofits and construction of hydraulic structures, including bridges and culverts, within our streams and rivers.
Current WTI partners include Bozeman Fish Technology Center of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (BFTC-USFWS), United States Forest Service - Gallatin National Forest, the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, and Turner Enterprises Inc.
This partnership will leverage existing money, facilities, personnel and experi¬ence which will allow all to maximize their research dollar effectiveness.
If you would like additional information about this project or would like to become a partner, please contact: Matt Blank, Assistant Research Professor, WTI-MSU, (406)-994-7120.
Brochure: Fish Swim Study
7. Working with China to develop joint road ecology program:
WTI is working with the Center for Transport Environment and Safety of the Chinese Academy of Transportation Sciences in Beijing, China for cooperative research, education and technology transfer.
Download the MOU
8. US 93 Preliminary Post Construction Wildlife Crossing Structure Monitoring
With the majority of the US 93 Evaro - Polson (The Peoples Way) reconstruction work on the Flathead Indian Reservation nearly complete, wildlife, and natural resource managers on the project are now moving into the next phase of assuring the highway is fitting into the landscape and Spirit of Place. The Peoples Way project set a new standard for mitigating the impacts of roads and traffic on wildlife with wildlife fencing combined with dozens of wildlife underpasses and one wildlife overpass. To ensure these measures are working, monitoring of the wildlife crossing structures for wildlife use is paramount.
The Montana Department of Transportation had a preconstruction wildlife monitoring evaluation completed in 2007 and recently initiated a post-construction wildlife-monitoring project as a cooperative study with Federal Highway Administration, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and the Western Transportation Institute. The goals of the study are to investigate the effectiveness of the structures and to identify best management practices that may benefit future wildlife-vehicle collision reduction and wildlife crossing mitigation projects. More information about these studies can be found on MDT's Research web page.
A number of motion-sensing animal detection cameras and animal tracking beds have been installed to monitor wildlife use of selected wildlife crossing structures. From these initial monitoring efforts, biologists are finding that numerous species are using the crossing structures, and some individual animals are using them as regular travel corridors within their home ranges. Part of the success of wildlife crossing structures comes from animals having a sense of security while approaching or crossing through the structures. Increased public presence or use of the crossing structures could lead to some individuals or perhaps an entire species avoiding the crossing structures thus not using them for safe passage across the highway. We appreciate your enthusiasm, but please avoid entering the wildlife crossing structures.
Enjoy the photos! You are free to use them in presentations or publications, please display the photo credit shown on the photo if you do.
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