Wildlife Passage and Crash Reduction Efforts in Maine & Massachusetts
Moose-vehicle collisions in Massachusetts: the need for speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . reduction
Stephen DeStefano & David Wattles U. S. Geological Survey
Massachusetts Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit
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Wildlife Passage and Crash Reduction Efforts in Maine & Massachusetts
Acknowledgments
Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Mass. Dept. of Conserv. & Recreation University of Massachusetts-Amherst Cooperative Research Unit Program
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Topics & Objectives
i. Re-colonization and status of moose in southern New England;
ii. Moose research in Massachusetts;
iii. Moose-vehicle collisions (MVC) data;
iv. Moose road crossings and spatial use GPS data;
v. Reducing MVCs – brief review and a recommendation.
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i. Moose in Southern New England . . .
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Moose distribution in North America
Current (black dash) and historical (blue dash) southern extent of moose distribution
USA
New England and New York
Pennsylvania New Jersey
Declining moose populations
Segments declining
Increasing/stable
Southern New England?
Density: low but stable; ~0.2/km2 = 0.5/mi2 (range-wide 0.03-5/km2 =<0.1-14/mi2)
Reproduction: high calf-to-cow ratio (~0.5:1; evidence of twinning)
Sex ratio: bulls = cows (0.97:1; unhunted population)
Relatively low natural mortality (low predation, diseases, parasites)
Indices to moose abundance in SNE
2004
SE and Cape Cod: few to no sightings
Metropolitan Worcester- Boston:
occasional sightings
Moose distribution in Massachusetts
Central Highlands
Berkshire Region
Connecticut River Valley
- higher elevations - early successional patches
Quabbin Reservoir
ii. Moose Research . . .
(image credit: Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
(1) Collected and compiled data on Moose-vehicle Collisions (MVC) throughout Massachusetts . . .
. . . including date, time, location, age/gender, outcome.
(2) Captured and Collared Moose - 36 moose 2006-2010 - free-ranging and relocations - GPS fixes every 45-75 min. - collected 2,000-10,000+ locations/moose - analyzed spatial use data
- home range and movements - habitat use - interactions with development - road crossings
Forested habitat in Massachusetts
Roads
Average Daily Traffic
_________________________________________________
Class Description Speed
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Interstate and major highways 65
2 State highways 50
3 Major local arteries 40
4 Light duty roads 30
5 Unpaved roads 25 _________________________________________________
(Sources: McGarigal et al. 2012 [CAPS]; MassDOT; MassGIS)
Road class and speed limits.
Other road and landscape variables around MVCs in Massachusetts. ________________________________________________________________
Variable Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Traffic volume Average daily traffic volume
Slope Mean slope along 8 1.5-km transects.
Relief Max. relief along 8 transects.
Connectivity Habitat connectedness in circular buffer.
Road density Km/km2 of all roads in circular buffer.
Natural Amount of forest and wetland in circular buffer. ________________________________________________________________
(Sources: McGarigal et al. 2012 [CAPS]; MassDOT; MassGIS)
GPS locations
GPS pathways
Cadwell Bull: large cut to E, wetland to N, small cut to SW
Statistical Analyses and Modeling Multiple logistic regression models. Dichotomous variable labeled as: 1 = an MVC (n = 332 during 1980-2012) 0 = random locations with no MVC (n = >2,000) Use:availability habitat modeling (Manly et al. 2002), where use = moose locations, available = random points
Image credit: Ashley Stoddard
iii. Moose-Vehicle Collisions . . .
Road mortality of collared moose (n = 4)
122
122
112
1) Rte 2 in Gardner (brainworm suspected)
2) Rte 122 in Petersham
3) Rte 112 in Huntington
4) Rte 102 in Lee MA
*MVC not reported
moose died months later
3)
2)
Mortality of collared moose
Moose
n
Mort.
MVC
Train
Injury
Spring
Hunt
Post-cap
Free-ranging
26
10 (38%)
2
1
2
3
2
0
Relocated
14
10 (71%)
2
0
0
1
0
7
Totals
40
20 (50%)
4
1
2
4
2
7
MVC = Motor Vehicle Collisions = 20% of all mortalities. No hunting in MA (hunter kills from VT and NH). Post-capture <3 months after capture and relocation.
Location Moose Pop. Annual MVC Pop. % HFR1
Massachusetts
1,000
30-50
3-5
0.7
Maine 30,000 - 60,000 650 1-2 0.4
New Hampshire 4,000 - 6,000 250 4-6 0.3
Vermont 4,000 - 5,000 150 3-4 0.6
Minnesota 4,300-6,800 24 - 31 0.4-0.7 NA
Anchorage, Alaska 450 (900) 100 11 0
Norway 100,000 - 150,000 711 - 1,464 1.2 NA
Newfoundland 150,000 616 - 897 0.4-0.6 0.26
British Columbia 180,000 100 - 700 0.3 NA
Sweden 200,000 - 250,000 4,000 - 6,000 1.6-3 0.3-0.4
Finland NA 150 1.2 NA
1HFR = Human Fatality Rate = HF/MVC.
Comparison of MVCs
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
MVC per year 1980-2012 (reported to Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife)
MVC per month 1980-2012 (reported to Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife)
11 8
17
32
75
48 47
31
48
57
27
22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
83 232 56
52
Road Class/Type Road density Number (%) of MVC
Interstate Highway 0.01 – 0.14 105 (33%)
State Highway 0.15 – 0.38 167 (54%)
Main Road 0.08 – 0.51 16 (5%)
Local Road 1.06 – 3.56 22 (7%)
(An additional 79 MVCs were unknown locations, i.e., town only.)
MVC and Road Type The influence of speed limit and traffic volume
based on known locations.
87%
Relative probability of MVCs based on road class and increasing habitat. (5 km scale, Worcester Plateau, Massachusetts)
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iv. Moose x Roads . . . Crossings and habitat selection
Moose Path
100 CRW Paths 10 CRW Paths
CRW Path
Moose Road Crossings
State Highways Major Local Roads
Minor Local Roads Forest Roads
Minor Local Roads
Winter
Probability of use by moose
Topography and MVC Locations
Elevation Profile of Route 2 Hot Spot 25 km 37 reported MVC
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Road Profile Rte2 Hot Spot
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Road Profile Rte2 west-cent
Topography and MVC Locations
Elevation Profile of Route 2 Orange-Greenfield
12 km 2 reported MVC
Forested Habitat
Moose Abundance
Human Densities
Traffic Volumes
Road Class & Speed
A combination of factors leads to MVC “hot spots” . . .
Landscape Variables Seasonal Movements
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Roads affect movements and habitat use: - Interstate highways as major barriers - State highways as semi-permeable barriers - Occasional avoidance of local roads - Seasonal effects
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v. Reducing MVCs
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USGS Coop. Res. Unit Mass. DFW Mass. DOT
Route 202, Mass. MVC “hot spot”
Mitigation Methods: Animal Abundance, Distribution, Behavior (1) Reduce abundance through seasonal harvest or lethal control.
(2) Fencing – exclusion, directional.
(3) Over- and under-passes.
Mitigation Methods: Driver Behavior (1) Increased education and awareness.
(2) Signs --- standard, large, seasonal.
(3) Animal detection systems --- in and outside of vehicle.
(4) Increased visibility --- lighting, vegetation & snow mgt., reflective collars.
(5) Reduction in traffic volumes --- temporary road closures.
(6) Reduction of the posted speed limit. (?) Enforcement of posted speed limits.
(Source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08034/08034.pdf)
The primary cause of accidents is an accumulation of factors . . .
. . . however, . . .
Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes . . . . . . for, . . .
Single vehicle crashes, multi-vehicle crashes, accidents involving humans, . . . accidents involving wildlife.
For humans: - >30% of all fatal crashes involves speeding - overall, >10-12,000 deaths and >$40 billion/year - accidents are a leading cause of death among children
For wildlife: - estimated 1-2 million killed annually For climate change: - transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions - effective enforcement of speed limits:
- saves fuel - reduces pollutants
Safety gains from slower driving are indisputable.
(Sources: USDOT Federal Highway Admin.; Motorcycle Safety Foundation; European Environment Agency)
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image credit: USGS Mass. Coop. Fish & Wildlife Research Unit
