The Island Park area through which U.S. 20 runs in the state of Idaho has seen, according to Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) statistics, 169 wildlife collisions during the period from 2005 to 2009. Moose, elk and deer are prevalent in the area, and these collisions have resulted not only in animal fatalities but millions of dollars in vehicle damage and ITD and public works maintenance and cleanup costs. In effort to curb this preponderance along U.S. 20, ITD, along with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), this week announced the finalization of a four-year collaborative study regarding wildlife-related hazards and recommendations for improved safety.
"Wildlife-vehicular collisions are a threat to both people and wildlife populations," said WCS Conservation Scientist Jon Beckmann, one of the study’s principal investigator. "Thankfully, through collaborations among partners like those involved here, and the emerging science of road ecology, we are mitigating that threat where possible."
Over the course of the study, scientists fitted a selection of female migratory elk and female migratory and non-migratory moose with GPS collars in order to track their movements via satellite from their winter range in the St. Anthony Sand Dunes area and Sand Creek Wildlife Management Area to their summer feeding grounds in the Island Park Caldera of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Collated data found that the preferred crossing zone lay between U.S. 20 and Idaho 87.
"Animals migrating between Yellowstone National Park and the Sand Creek Desert of eastern Idaho must cross U.S. 20," said Shane Roberts, IDFG biologist. "To effectively manage these wildlife populations and to maintain migration paths between Yellowstone National Park and eastern Idaho, we must understand how animals successfully navigate highways and then work to maintain that capability."
The study further recommended the over- and/or underpasses be erected in six locations within the migration zone in order to allow wildlife to pass safely. Moreover, fencing and warning systems were also advised for motorist safety. Within the collaborating agencies, WCS advised ITD officials to consider two additional locations along U.S. 20 which were found to be favored by non-migratory moose.
Tim Cramer, ITD senior environmental planner and a principal investigator on the study, said, "This cooperative research will assist ITD in moving forward from research-based recommendations to management actions designed to help keep this area safe for the traveling public and for the important wildlife that we all treasure in the Island Park area."
The agency quorum now plans to use the crossing-location data to determine how best to curb impacts of U.S. 20 on hooved migrations to protect wildlife and travelers alike.
