ASSESSING HABITAT CONNECTIVITY THROUGH TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS ON A BROAD SCALE: AN INTERAGENCY APPROACH

Highways have long been considered to have an adverse impact on wildlife, but until recently very little work has been completed to determine how to minimize these impacts. The highway/wildlife impact recently became an issue in Washington State when the US Forest Service designated a portion of Wenatchee and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests as an Adaptive Management Area (AMA). A major management objective for this area is providing habitat connectivity. Interstate 90, the major east-west transportation corridor in Washington State, passes through the Wenatchee and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests, in the AMA, posing a challenge to meeting their mandated requirement to maintain habitat connectivity through the Snoqualmie Pass AMA. Consideration of these issues led to the partnering of both the Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Transportation in a joint study which will identify ways to provide for habitat connectivity across the highway. The goal of the study is to examine the relationships between wildlife and interstate highways corridors, in terms of habitat connectivity and human safety, then use that information in conjunction with a complementary Forest Service landscape study to develop a general methodology for integrating transportation and landscape planning. The study will determine where connectivity corridors are located and where they should be maintained within the study area. Management strategies and techniques will be developed which will help facilitate both organizations in meeting their goals of providing habitat connectivity while providing for a safe and cost effective transportation system for the people of Washington State.

• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Wagner, P
  • Carey, M
  • Lehmkuhl, J
• Conference:
  • International Conference on Wildlife Ecology and Transportation (ICOWET 1998)
  • Location: Fort Myers Florida, United States
  • Date: 1998-2-9 to 1998-2-12
• Publication Date: 1998

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 66-67
• Monograph Title: PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WILDLIFE ECOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION (ICOWET)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Forests; Habitat (Ecology); Highway safety; Highways; Impacts; Interagency relations; Interstate highways; Landscape design; Management; Partnerships; Strategic planning; Transportation corridors; Wildlife
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Forest Service
• Uncontrolled Terms: Adaptive management area
• Geographic Terms: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; Washington (State); Wenatchee National Forest
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00784493
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 8 2000 12:00AM