Animal detection Systems

•Effectiveness•Types•Design Issues•Implementation•Applications•Costs•Operation &Maintenance

Effectivness

System Types

Break the Beam

Area Coverage Detection

Design Issues( Site Suitability)

Designing for Success

Implementation

Pros:•Safe crossing•Less restrictive to wildlife movement•No major Road Construction•Less Expensive

Cons:•Only large Animals•Some Only at night•Ten years as compared to 20-30•Equipment in RofW•Still some AVC

Applications

Costs

$65,000/mile *–stand alone

$20,000 *for a gap in a fence

•excluding installation and signage and wildlife fencing

, Problems and Experience with operations.

Area cover systems

Break-the-beam system

Geo-phone system

Radio-collar system

False positives

High, moving or wet vegetation

√ √

Flying birds, nesting birds, rabbits

√ √

Wind, rain, water, fog, snow spray, falling leaves

√ √ √

Snow and ice accumulation on sensors or ground

(√) √

Microwave radio signal reflection off guard rail

√

Sun, heat, unstable sensors √ √ √

Insufficient ventilation in box (fog on lens)

(√) √

Problems and Experience with operations

Area cover systems

Break-the-beam system

Geo-phone system

Radio-collar system

False positives

Frost, low temperatures √ √Lightning (√) √ √ (√)Long distance between transmitter and receiver

√

Traffic on road √ √ (√)Traffic on driveways or side road (√) √Passing trains √Signals from other transmitters √ √

Problems and Experience with operations

False negatives Area Coverage

Break the beam

Geo- phone

Radio collar

Curves, slopes not covered by sensors

(√) √

Loitering animals in right-of-way not detected

(√) √ (√)

None of the individuals that cross have collars

√

Not feasible for non-gregarious species/migrants

√

Insufficient warning time (√) (√) (√)

Some systems are only active during the night

√ √

Problems and Experience with operations

Maintenance Area Coverage

Break the beam

Geo phone

Radio collar

Maintenance costs (e.g., mowing, power, fences)

(√) √ (√) (√)

Shade/snow on solar panels (√) √ (√) (√)

Vandalism and theft of e.g. solar panels

(√) √ (√) (√)

Safety (cars of road) (√) √ (√) (√)

Broken sensors, warning lights or other material

√ √ (√) √

Period required to solve technical difficulties

√ √ √ √

Signs (standardization, liability) √ √ √ √

No remote access to data (poor cell phone coverage)

(√) √ √ (√)

Problems and Experience with operations

Landscape, ecology, animals

Area Coverage

Break the Beam

Geo phone

Radio Collars

Landscape aesthetics (√) √ (√) (√)

Animals crossing areas may change overtime

(√) √ (√) (√)

Animals may wander between fences (if present)

√ (√) (√) (√)

Small animals are not detected

√ √ √ √

Continuous effort to capture animals

√

Stress for the animals involved

√

Not in habitat linkage zones (light disturbance)

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