Jul 8, 2021
This week we're joined by biologist Nova Simpson, who works for the Nevada Department of Transportation to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in our travel corridors. We talk about wildlife overpasses and underpasses (even for things like snakes and toads), how those projects are funded, and whether they're effective at reducing vehicular collisions with wildlife. Plus: horses, whitefish dip, and HEAT.
4:00 "Large mammal mitigation specialist" - how can we help animals live more comfortably in our shadow? Also... state road departments have biologists on payroll!
6:00 "Road ecology": The study of how wildlife moves/adjusts to road infrastructure
7:00 Animal-vehicle collisions
12:00 There are 15-20 varieties of threatened animals for whom vehicular collision is a pretty significant source of mortality. Example: Florida panther
13:00 Roads fragment habitat. How can we restore connectivity?
14:00 (RE)CONNECTING WILD: Restoring Safe Passage Mitigation project over Nevada's I-80 on the species’ migration route. Win for drivers, win for deer
18:00 Conservation priority so often comes down to available funding and time resource
19:00 Roadkill collision app in the works
20:00 Overpasses/underpasses on highways, fencing projects, bridge crossings, "animal sidewalks," etc
26:00 Only about 2% of crashes in Nevada involve wildlife
32:00 Agency vs. private funding for wildlife crossings
34:00 How do animals safely cross a highway? New York Times article on wildlife crossings (including the rattlesnake underpass)
37:00 Toad crossings
38:00 Current transportation bill in D.C. includes funding for wildlife mitigation for the first time in U.S. history
41:00 Check out the NWF Outdoors podcast wherever you get your programming
42:00 Wildlife cams... THE THINGS YOU SEE!
47:00 Anyone apply for draw tags? Not drawing in an area with 90%+ draw odds... #darnit
51:00 Training our horse pals :)
55:00 Whitefish dip