wildlife | National Center for Sustainable Transportation

Understanding Wildlife Behavioral Responses to Traffic Noise and Light to Improve Mitigation Planning

Research Product Type

Policy Brief

This policy brief summarizes findings from research that examined the presence and behavior of animals at highway crossing structures to understand the effects of noise and light from a highway on wildlife behavior.

Using Advanced Camera Systems for Environmental Monitoring of Transportation Corridors

Research Product Type

Presentation

Presentation slides from the webinar "Using Advanced Camera Systems for Environmental Monitoring of Transportation Corridors" from Dr. Fraser Shilling.

Using Genetic Tools to Identify Populations Within Species Could Ease Infrastructure Mitigation

Research Product Type

Research Brief

This research brief summarizes findings and implications from the project where researchers at UC Davis sequenced entire genomes for 40 individual Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte anna) from across California to identify breeding populations and develop a genetic toolkit to assign individuals to those populations. The presence of this species at bridge construction sites has resulted in construction delays in part because little information exists on the status of different populations within the species.

Using Noninvasive Genetics to Compare how a California Freeway Affects Gene Flow in a Disturbance Averse versus a Disturbance‐Tolerant Species

Principal Investigator Andrea Schreier, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis

This project studies how road networks and species behavior can impact wildlife survival and genetic diversity.

Project Status

Complete

Using Noninvasive Genetics to Compare How a California Freeway Affects Gene Flow in a Disturbance-averse Versus a Disturbance-tolerant Species

Research Product Type

Research Report

In this study, researchers tested the hypothesis that highways will pose less of a barrier to coyotes, a species tolerant of human disturbance, than to the gray fox, a species more sensitive to disturbance.

Using Time Lapse Cameras to Track Shoreline Change Due to Sea Level Rise

Research Product Type

Research Report

Researchers used time lapse cameras to track shoreline changes due to sea level rise and discussed how outputs from their techniques could be used to inform transportation and regulatory decision-making

Webinar: Using Advanced Camera Systems for Environmental Monitoring of Transportation Corridors

The webinar covered a brief introduction to camera traps, camera-based studies, and using these data in research and mitigation planning; examples of the advanced camera systems available to automatically retrieve image data from the field; and how to use the web-system to manage camera trap projects and share data.

Webinar: Wildlife Behavior in Response to Traffic Disturbance

Traffic impacts on wildlife behavior are largely unknown, but may be the primary determinant of wildlife distribution in response to fragmentation from roads. This webinar will present findings from 3 years of research by the Road Ecology Center at the University of California, Davis on the distribution of wildlife relative to highways and their behavior in response to instantaneous traffic disturbance.

Wildlife Connectivity and Which Median Barrier Designs Provide the Most Effective Permeability for Wildlife Crossings

Principal Investigator Fraser Shilling, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis

This research consists of two primary objectives: identifying opportunities, information gaps, existing resources and research needs by engaging non-government organizations, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists who expressed interest in working on this project; and with input from these biologists, conduct a preliminary investigation for at least 10 sites, each with concrete median barriers, cable guards or thrie-beam barriers, and vegetated/developed medians, for comparison of rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions with large and all wildlife, as indicators of wildlife connectivity.

Project Status

Complete

Wildlife Connectivity and Which Median Barrier Designs Provide the Most Effective Permeability for Wildlife Crossings

Research Product Type

Research Report

Because of their position in the center of the traveled right-of-way, median barriers could affect wildlife movement across the right-of-way, decreasing wildlife connectivity. This project team coordinated and met with staff from several Caltrans Districts to gain understanding of their issues related to median barriers and wildlife permeability.