Deer-Vehicle Crash Hotspots in Utah: Data for Effective Mitigation

Animal-vehicle collisions and their associated ecological impacts have been reported since at least the early 1920s and continue to be of national and international concern today. Over 1 million deer-vehicle crashes may occur each year in the United States. On average, ~2,300 deer are reported killed on Utah highways each year. Reported numbers of deer-vehicle collisions may be conservative because only from ½ to 1/6 of deer vehicle collisions that occur are actually reported to authorities. The number of wildlife-vehicle collisions continues to grow with increasing urban and suburban development, growing numbers of vehicle miles traveled per year (VMT), and an expanding road network. Utah is accessed and divided by ~9500 km (~5,900 miles) of state routes and ~56,327 km (~35,000 miles) of city and county roads that are being used by a growing number of drivers. From 1990 to 2001 (the most current data available), the number of licensed drivers in the state increased 43%, from 1,046,106 to 1,495,887. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) increased from \u3e14 million to \u3e23 million (60.1%) over the same time period (Bureau of Transportation Statistics 2004). In addition, the population of Utah increased by 29.6% (510,319 people) from 1990-2000 and is projected to continue with an estimated increase of 554,401 people (24.8%) from 2000 to 2010. As the population increases, it is expected that licensed drivers and vehicle miles traveled will also grow, making the issue of animal vehicle collisions an ever larger safety and conservation priority

Big Bend National Park Biosphere Reserve: A History of Scientific Study - Volume I: A Narrative Description of Scientific Study

In 1971 the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) created the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program for the purpose of promoting rational use of the earth\u27s resources. Formal involvement by the U.S. began in 1974. By 1976, 28 biosphere reserves had been selected in the U.S., including Big Bend National Park (BBNP) (Fig. 1). The purpose of this 2-volume report was to provide an interdisciplinary reference volume of literature citations for BBNP and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert, and to provide a synopsis of research completed at BBNP

A Track Plot System to Monitor Habitat Use

Difficulty in capturing a sufficient sample of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for a biotelemetry habitat use study led to the development of an alternative method using track plots. One-hundred 1 X 3 m plots/site were proportionately allocated by percentage area of distinct cover types, prior to random location in the 3 study areas. Results from 13 months of use indicated that the method was acceptable for monitoring habitat use patterns. Potential uses and problems are discussed. Comparisons with biotelemetry and direct observation data are made

Locations of Deer–Vehicle Collisions are Unrelated to Traffic Volume or Posted Speed Limit

Consensus is lacking regarding the influence of vehicle speed and traffic volume on deer–vehicle collision (DVC) rates. Yet, annual average daily traffic fl ow (AADT) and posted speed limit (PSL) typically are used to measure these variables. To resolve this conflict, we studied the effects of traffic volume and vehicle speed on DVCs in Utah. Our results showed no relationship between AADT or PSL and DVC occurrence. There are at least 3 explanations for our results: (1) no causal relationship exists; (2) AADT and PSL, as measured, actually explain little of the variation; and (3) data quality problems exist. We discuss the likelihood for each explanation. We argue that even though traffic speed and volume have been used to predict DVC occurrence and may be useful explanatory variables, the metrics AADT and PSL are poor surrogate variables. Thus, uses of these variables to predict risk will likely provide unreliable results

Winter Activity Patterns of American Martens (Martes americana): Rejection of the Hypothesis of Thermal-Cost Minimization

Despite their temperate to subarctic geographic range, American martens (Martes americana) possess a thermally inefficient morphology. The lack of morphological adaptations for reducing thermal costs suggests that marten may use behavioral strategies to optimize thermal budgets. During the winters of 1989-1990 and 1990-1991, we radio-collared and monitored the diel activity of 7 martens. A log-linear model suggested that the presence or absence of light was the only factor associated with marten activity patterns (p \u3c 0.001). A regression of the percentage of active fixes on ambient temperature failed to detect an association (b = -4.45, p = 0.084, n = 12). Contents of marten seats suggested that their activity was consistent with the prey-vulnerability hypothesis. While martens must balance multiple life requisites, their activity patterns suggest that they accept increased thermal costs in order to increase foraging efficiency. However, the nocturnal activity of martens during winter was also consistent with the hypothesis that they may be able to limit their own exposure to predation risk. The nocturnal habits of Newfoundland martens in the winter were consistent with the hypothesis of avoidance of predation risk

Nocturnal Bird-Avoidance Modeling with Mobile-Marine Radar

To develop a bird-avoidance model for Naval Air Facility El Centro, California, we used a modified marine-radar system to quantify nocturnal (sunset to midnight) bird movements in the area. Previous birdradar studies relied on visual monitoring of the radar screen for data collection. This study represents the first use of computer-aided image analysis of marine-radar bird-data. Radar images were automatically captured, analyzed, and archived with a personal computer. The image analysis eliminated ground clutter, calculated the sample area, identified bird targets, and categorized them into three relative size classes. This made data collection more uniform by eliminating observer bias. We operated the system on 34 nights between 20 Oct and 29 Nov 2000 and recorded a total of 320,703 bird targets. Calculated hazard indices ranged from a low of 0.23 to 29.48. Hazard indices \u3c 10.00 were classified as low, between 10.00 and 18.00 were classified as moderate, and \u3e 18.00 were classified as high