Paving (or not paving) the way for wildlife

When I first began working in wildlife conservation, I never imagined that it would mean getting involved in transportation planning. But the truth is that roads and vehicular traffic transform landscapes. Transportation programs and policies pose some of the greatest conservation challenges of this century. So today, especially as Florida’s human population continues to grow, striving to make roads safer for wildlife has become an important part of my work.

Transportation Casualties
Roads affect wildlife in many ways. The construction of roads, and then the moving vehicles themselves, can kill animals outright. But the indirect impacts can be just as devastating. New and expanded roads and highways open up remote areas and splinter habitat into disconnected pieces, cutting animals off from one another, and from the food and other resources they need.

Here in Florida, home to a wide array of wildlife, vehicular mortality (death by vehicle) threatens a number of species, including threatened and endangered species. Collisions with vehicles are the greatest direct human cause of endangered Florida panther deaths. Unable to safely cross roads, these cats have trouble expanding their range, which they desperately need to do in order for the population to continue to grow. Last year, a record 25 panthers (from a population estimated at fewer than 180 adults) were killed on roads.

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The same happened to 226 endemic Florida black bears in 2014. Vehicle collisions kill an alarming number of Florida scrub jays (a threatened species) each year, and are a significant threat to their population. Raptors, such as the threatened Audubon’s crested caracara, are often killed by vehicles as they feed on carcasses of raccoons, opossums and other road-killed animals. Threatened eastern indigo snakes, gopher tortoises, crocodiles and countless other species die on roads and highways.

Getting to the Table Early
You usually only hear about efforts to stop road construction projects that would threaten wildlife after the work has begun. But by the time the bulldozers arrive, it’s too late to stop or change a project. That’s where planning ahead becomes vital to protecting wildlife while also responding to human transportation needs.

For instance, as a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team, I help identify areas where Florida panthers are most likely to be impacted by roads, and recommend how the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other transportation agencies can reduce the risk to these endangered cats.

The good news is that new roads are only constructed after a lengthy planning process, with several opportunities for the public to comment. We get involved early in the planning process to influence and improve projects for new or expanded roads that would cut through conservation land, or harm wildlife. Sometimes the road can be diverted away from sensitive habitat, or we can make sure that wildlife crossings and fencing are included to allow animals to cross safely.

Our feedback, and that of our supporters in the region, have spurred FDOT to create wildlife crossings and traffic calming measures in some of the most dangerous and heavily trafficked areas of Florida. While there may be public support for wildlife crossings, it is easiest (and least expensive) to create them when they are part of the project from the beginning. Here are some examples of what you can accomplish when you get to the table early enough in the planning process to truly make a difference for wildlife:

• From 1986 to 1993, the two lane road dubbed Alligator Alley (which cut right through panther habitat) was widened to become part of Interstate-75. Advocacy efforts helped convince officials to include 24 wildlife crossings and 13 bridge extensions (which give animals room to cross under the bridges) to allow safe passage of panthers and other wildlife under the highway. These changes virtually eliminated road-related panther deaths in that area, and today they are used by many other species, including Florida black bear, deer, bobcat, marsh rabbit, alligators, turtles, snakes and more.
• Years ago, there was momentum to build a new interchange on I-75 in Collier County. This major project would have destroyed 10,000 acres of panther habitat, severed important wildlife corridors, and made wildlife/vehicle collisions a common occurrence near the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. But for years, Defenders and other conservation organizations and agencies spoke out against it at every possible opportunity, and in 2012, officials finally put this project on the shelf.
• State Road 29 and County Road 858 also cut through panther habitat. We advocated for similar measures there, and the result was eight new wildlife crossings. And in Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, there is now a slow-speed nighttime panther zone on County Road 832.
• US Highway 41 runs through Big Cypress National Preserve, right in core panther territory. We helped officials create a roadside animal detection system (RADS) that warns motorists that wildlife is approaching the road.
• The Florida Panther Dispersal Zone is the most important corridor for panthers moving northward to the Caloosahatchee River, where panthers have been known to cross into south-central Florida. Along with other organizations and local landowners, and with fantastic support from local wildlife advocates, we persuaded FDOT to include wildlife crossings and fencing along two different segments on SR 80 in this zone.

In 2011, FDOT unveiled the Florida Future Corridors Initiative, which would create and expand highways in at least five major planning areas throughout the state over the next 50 years. Without intervention from Defenders and other conservation advocates, these highways could cut through important conservation lands, fragment habitat, and encourage development in sensitive areas. So to continue our work to protect wildlife and habitat, we’re taking part in FDOT’s Environmental Stakeholders meetings, and encouraging the public to participate in the process as well.

So What Can You Do?
Wherever you live, whatever wildlife may be at risk on your roads, there’s a place at the planning table for you as well.

• Find out what new roads or road expansion projects are planned for your area. Your state department of transportation or metropolitan planning organization should have this information.
• Take advantage of the fact that the planning process is open for your participation. Attend hearings on upcoming projects, and submit comments.
• Make a list of your elected officials. Find out if any of them serve on transportation related committees either in your state legislature or Congress and contact them to make them more aware of the need for wildlife protection in transportation planning.
• Contact your elected officials to request funding or support for wildlife crossings where needed.

For a detailed look at the process behind this kind of planning, check out our guide Getting Up To Speed (and if you happen to live in Florida, we have our own guide just for you).