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Animal Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity Along Montana

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Animal Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity Along Montana ANIMAL-VEHICLE COLLISIONS AND HABITAT CONNECTIVITY ALONG MONTANA HIGHWAY 83 IN THE SEELEY SWAN VALLEY, MONTANA: A RECONNAISSANCE FHWA/MT-06-002/8177 Final Report prepared for THE STATE OF MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION in cooperation with THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION February 2006 prepared by Marcel P. Huijser, Ph.D. Kari E. Gunson Carla Abrams Western Transportation Institute Montana State University RESEARCH PROGRAMS You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work; make derivative works; make commercial use of the work under the condition that you give the original author and sponsor credit. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the sponsor. Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Animal-Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity along Montana Highway 83 in the Seeley-Swan Valley, Montana: a Reconnaissance by Marcel P. Huijser, Ph.D., Research Ecologist, Kari E. Gunson, M.Sc., Research Ecologist and GIS specialist & Carla Abrams, M.Sc., Field Technician Western Transportation Institute College of Engineering, Montana State University PO Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250 A report prepared for the MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Montana Department of Transportation PO Box 201001, 2701 Prospect Ave. Helena, MT 59620-1001 in cooperation with the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION February 2006 Animal-Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity along MT 83 Documentation Page TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA/MT-06-002/8177 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Animal-Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity February 2006 along Montana Highway 83 in the Seeley-Swan Valley, Montana: a Reconnaissance 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Marcel P. Huijser, Kari E. Gunson & Carla Abrams 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Western Transportation Institute College of Engineering Montana State University 11. Contract or Grant No. PO Box 174250 MDT PROJECT #8177 Bozeman, MT 59717-4250 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Research Programs Final research report, May 2004 – December 2005 Montana Department of Transportation 2701 Prospect Avenue 14. Sponsoring Agency Code PO Box 201001 5401 Helena MT 59620-1001 15. Supplementary Notes Research performed in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation and the US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. This report can be found at http://www.mdt.mt.gov/research/projects/env/seeley.shtml. 16. Abstract Montana Highway 83 in northwestern Montana, USA, is known for its great number of animal-vehicle collisions, mostly with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). This document reports on the first phase of an effort to produce an effective implementation plan that has broad support from natural resource management agencies as well as the local community. Phase 1 is aimed at acquiring information and at identifying potential additional research and resource needs. This document identifies and ranks high-frequency zones for white-tailed deer-vehicle collisions, identifies road- and landscape characteristics associated with white-tailed deer-vehicle collisions, identifies and ranks (additional) habitat linkage zones based on expert knowledge, and identifies and documents additional research and resource needs that may need to be addressed before proceeding with the following phases of an effort to produce an effective implementation plan that has broad support. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Animal-vehicle collision, Collision zone, Habitat Unrestricted. This document is available through the linkage zone, Local expert knowledge, Land use, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA Mitigation, Road-, traffic- and landscape 21161. characteristics, Road-kill, White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 19. Security Classif. (of this 20. Security 21. No. of Pages 160 22. Price report) Classif. (of this Unclassified page) Unclassified Western Transportation Institute Page ii Animal-Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity along MT 83 Disclaimer DISCLAIMER This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Montana Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The State of Montana and the United States Government assume no liability of its contents or use thereof. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Montana Department of Transportation or the United States Department of Transportation. The State of Montana and the United States Government do not endorse products of manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. ALTERNATIVE FORMAT STATEMENT MDT attempts to provide accommodations for any known disability that may interfere with a person participating in any service, program, or activity of the Department. Alternative accessible formats of this document will be provided upon request. For further information, call (406) 444-7693, TTY (800) 335-7592, or Montana Relay 711. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was funded by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Many thanks to Pat Basting, Breta Duncan, Dave Galt, Tom Hanek, Pierre Jomini, Sue Sillick, and Shane Stack (MDT) for their interest in the issue and their help. Thanks also to Thanks also to Steve Albert, Jeralyn Brodowy, Tony Clevenger, Amanda Hardy, Kate Heidkamp, Neil Hetherington and Pat McGowen (WTI-MSU) and Mo Hartmann and Melanie Parker (Northwest Connections) for their help and advice. Special thanks are due to the people interviewed with regard to their knowledge and experience of high-risk areas for animal-vehicle collisions and habitat linkage areas for selected species: Bill Bartlett, Anne Dahl, Kristi DuBois, Bruce Friede, Glen Gray, Jay Haveman, Bob (Robert) Henderson, Bert Johnson, Jamie Jonkel, Jay Kolbe, Joe & Joyce Lawrence, Tom Litchfield, Rick (Richard) Mace, Chuck (Charles) Mcleod, Bud Moore, Tom Parker, John Squires, Mike (Michael) Thompson, Scott Tomson, Ken Wolff. Thanks also to Steve Albert, Pat Basting, Carol Diffendaffer, Bruce Friede, Amanda Hardy, Dwane Kailey, Jay Kolbe, Carla Little, Bud Moore, Sue Sillick, Sandra Straehl, Scott Tomson, and Ken Wolff for reviewing an earlier version of this report. Western Transportation Institute Page iii Animal-Vehicle Collisions and Habitat Connectivity along MT 83 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures.............................................................................................................................. viii 1. Executive Summary............................................................................................................... ix 2. Introduction..............................................................................................................................1 3. Previous and Ongoing Efforts..................................................................................................6 3.1. Introduction..................................................................................................................... 6 3.2. South of Clearwater Divide (Seeley Lake Area) ............................................................ 6 3.3. North of Clearwater Divide (Swan Valley) .................................................................... 7 4. High-Frequency Zones For Deer-Vehicle Collisions ..............................................................9 4.1. Introduction..................................................................................................................... 9 4.2. Data Sources and Considerations.................................................................................... 9 4.2.1. Search and Reporting Effort ................................................................................... 9 4.2.2. Species Reported................................................................................................... 12 4.2.3. Spatial Accuracy................................................................................................... 12 4.3. Changes in the Traffic Volume, Deer Population Size, Road or Landscape................ 13 4.4. Analyses........................................................................................................................ 17 4.4.1. Analyses of Trends and Characteristics of White Tailed Deer Carcasses and Collisions with Wild Animals............................................................................................... 17 4.4.2. Cluster Analyses................................................................................................... 18 4.5. Results..........................................................................................................................
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