TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILDLIFE ACTIVITIES

The Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT's) vision statement calls for "environmentally sensitive" transportation systems. TxDOT, and more specifically, the Natural Resources Management Section of the Environmental Affairs Division of TxDOT, works hands-on with individual transportation projects to ensure that all environmental concerns are addressed in the best way possible. The Natural Resources Management Section is the department's liaison to federal and state agencies, the Texas Legislature, special interest groups and the public, on issues relating to the environment. This team effort ensures that TxDOT meets goals to avoid, minimize or compensate for adverse environmental impacts. These issues include animal mortality in the roadway. This paper presents several examples of how TxDOT has, and is, attempting to minimize roadway effects on wildlife. Among the species discussed are the brown pelican (Pelicanus occidentalis carolinensis), bats (Texas is home to 32 species), the ocelot (Felis pardalis), the Concho water snake (Nerodia paucimaculata), and the Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis). The Environmental Affairs Division of TxDOT is attempting to take a more proactive stance after building a solid base of compliance with existing state and federal laws and regulations. The division strives to meet TxDOT's vision of "environmentally sensitive" transportation systems by making the environmental process a key part to project development. The best mitigation methods and avoidance alternatives are part of the process. The farsighted benefits of protecting the state's environment outweigh the expense incurred through increased development time and costs, and give the public greater satisfaction with TxDOT projects.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Also published by Florida DOT as a paper in FL-ER-58-96, "Trends in Addressing Transportation Related Wildlife Mortality: Proceedings of the Transportation Related Wildlife Mortality Seminar (June 1996).
• Corporate Authors:

  Florida Department of Transportation

  Haydon Burns Building, 605 Suwanee Street
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32301

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Jenkins, K
• Conference:
  • Transportation and Wildlife: Reducing Wildlife Mortality and Improving Wildlife Passageways Across Transportation Corridors
  • Location: Orlando, Florida
  • Date: 1996-4-30 to 1996-5-2
• Publication Date: 1996-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: p. 174-204

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Birds; Carnivores; Environmental protection; Fatalities; Law enforcement; Mammals; Programming (Planning); State departments of transportation; Traffic mitigation; Wildlife
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bats; Mitigation; Mortality; Snakes
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Old TRIS Terms: Toads
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00745665
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-PD-96-041
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 2 1998 12:00AM