17 minute read
Research yields recommendations to stem wildlife deaths on I-40
Symbolic of the risk–reward situation that bears must face when there is a critical need for them to search for food, security, dispersal or breeding, a female bear looks for the best opportunity to cross as her cubs surround her at the guardrail on I-64 in Virginia near the top of Afton Mountain where the Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway meet.
Bridget Donaldson, Virginia Transportation Research Council photo
Plans for safe passage
Research yields recommendations to stem wildlife deaths on I-40
BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR
After more than three years of research and analysis, a group focused on ending wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Pigeon River Gorge has released a report outlining its recommendations for keeping them safe from traffic.
“Here is a document that serves as longterm planning document for both the Tennessee and North Carolina Department of Transportation, and thankfully they’re both fully engaged and energized by this work,” said Jeff Hunter, senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. “Can we do everything? Can you do everything in any endeavor? Perhaps not, but at least now we have an evidence-based approach to mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions in this nationally significant landscape adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”
The recommendations released last week were the result of research funded by Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project and completed by NCPA and Wildlands Network. The 86-page report explains the results of the multi-faceted research effort required to understand how many animals are dying during road crossings, where those crossings are occurring and how existing road structures correlate to success in safely navigating the gorge. The research focuses on large animals — specifically bear, deer and elk — because they are easiest to study and pose the most danger to human motorists.
A visualization from the report shows wildlife death and detection rates through the Pigeon River Gorge.
Wildlands Network/NCPA graphic
THE RESEARCH
The research area is a 28-mile portion of Interstate 40 that parallels the Pigeon River and is often bordered by sheer rock walls on the opposite side. The entire area is a wildlife hotspot, with the road cutting through an otherwise remote region that’s home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pisgah National Forest and Cherokee National Forest.
To find out how wildlife use the area, researchers set up a series of camera traps. They established 66 wildlife cameras to monitor 33 400-meter road segments — choosing only segments that did not contain a continuous cut rock cliff — and also set up cameras at 21 roadway structures such as bridges and culverts. Additionally, they fit 13 elk with GPS collars to better understand their movement patterns.
Meanwhile, they sought to understand the magnitude of the wildlife mortality problem. To do this, they compiled information about wildlife deaths contained in crash report data for 2001-2020. Then from September 2018 through December 2021, researchers conducted weekly driving surveys to augment numbers obtained through crash data.
Over the 20-year period, researchers recorded 336 incidents of wildlife-vehicle collisions, and all indications are that this is an undercount. In 2020, for example, researchers documented 50 wildlife-vehicle collisions — but only one of those was reflected in agency crash reports.
“We could talk about numbers all day,” said Hunter. “The fact of the matter is we know we have a problem.”
Of the 336 dead animals, 304 records contained enough information for further analysis. Of the 304, the largest number — 55% — were bear, this despite the fact that deer was the most-recorded species on the 66 roadside cameras, accounting for 78% of sightings. Of the cameras set up at the 21 road structures, 86% detected one or more of the target species, with 76% detecting deer, 67% bear and 19% elk.
“I think one of the really interesting findings is that a lot of our mortality is associated with the existing structures,” said Hunter. “It
was somewhat counterintuitive until Fwe started peeling back the layers.”
Top priority
Years of research have informed the following list of highest-priority wildlife road crossing projects recommended for the Pigeon River Gorge.
North Carolina projects:
1. Wilkins Creek Overpass: Construct an overpass over I-40 between Wilkins Creek Box
Culvert A and the NCDOT Rest Area. Pursue land acquisition or conservation easements to stabilize the area for wildlife. 2. Single Tunnel Overpass: Construct an overpass extending the existing Single Tunnel land bridge across the rest of I-40. 3. Cold Springs Creek Exit Culverts: Replace the existing culverts on both the entrance and exit ramps with larger structures to facilitate better terrestrial and aquatic wildlife passage. 4. Groundhog Creek: Replace the three small existing culverts with a larger structure suitable for all target species.
Tennessee projects:
1. Waterville Bridge: Add a wildlife-friendly shoulder along the underpass road when the bridge is replaced and consider a future wildlife and pedestrian overpass in this area. 2. Naillon Branch: Replace the existing culvert with a larger structure suitable for all our target species or construct an elkfriendly overpass. Pursue land acquisition or conservation easements to stabilize the area for wildlife. 3. Laurel Hollow: Replace the existing culvert with a larger structure (culvert or small bridge) suitable for all our target species.
The 16th annual Lake Logan Multisport Festival is just a month away, with three tri-sport events coming up in Haywood County Aug. 6-7.
The weekend will kick off Saturday, Aug. 6, with a half-ironman race that includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. Then, Sunday, Aug. 7, will offer an international triathlon race — a 1,500-meter swim, 24-mile bike ride and 10-kilometer run — as well as the shorter sprint triathlon, featuring a 500-meter swim, 12-mile bike ride and 5-kilometer run. All events include aquabike and relay categories as well.
If you’re not competing, get up early to watch the athletes swim across the mountain lake before switching into biking and running gear. Anyone driving N.C. 215 and the Bethel area that weekend should plan for delays as they share the route with racers.
Learn more or sign up at gloryhoundevents.com/event/lake-logan-multisport-festival.
The data showed that the probability of an animal getting hit on the road was higher — not lower — when closer to road structures like bridges and culverts that researchers thought they could potentially be using to help them cross more safely. The researchers surmised this was because road structures tend to be built in places where the grade is a little gentler or the landscape a little more open.
“That’s where the highway engineers built their interchanges, at the path of least resistance where it was easier to engineer these things, and so the wildlife are compet-
ing for the same places where our roads are, because that’s where the least-cost path is,” said Hunter.
The researchers found that wildlife do sometimes use these structures to cross the highway, “but even with structures available along the roadway, wildlife sometimes chose to cross at highway grade, as evidenced by nearby mortality hotspots,” the report says.
This is likely because the location of the structures is right, but the construction is wrong for usefulness as wildlife crossings.
“When this highway was first built decades ago, wildlife wasn’t being considered,” said Dr. Liz Hillard, senior wildlife biologist for the Appalachian Region at Wildlands Network, and lead author of the report. “We now know how detrimental roads are to wildlife and have a tremendous opportunity to use our research to influence positive conservation outcomes on the ground by connecting wildlife habitat.”
— Jeff Hunter
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
The lackluster performance of existing road structures leads to the final section of the report — a list of recommendations for new and overhauled road structures that aim to drastically reduce wildlife mortality over the decades to come.
“The encouraging thing to me is as this report goes out, there’s a cultural shift that’s taken place at the (DOT) agency in North Carolina,” said Hunter. “They’re excited about doing this kind of work.”
Hunter points to the planned replacement of five bridges along that stretch of I40 as evidence of that enthusiasm. When the Safe Passage group was mere months into its research, the NCDOT announced it would be replacing the aging structures, leading to a collaborative process with wildlife advocates to ensure the new bridges would include features aimed at allowing large wildlife to cross safely. Construction is now underway on the first of the five, at Harmon Den. The bridge will include a two-lane underpass made specifically for wildlife, the first such structure in the state.
Safe Passage has previously submitted detailed recommendations for these bridge projects, but the new report highlights the group’s seven overall priorities for the project area — four in North Carolina and three in Tennessee. Bridges aren’t the only items on the list.
In North Carolina, the top four are an overpass between Wilkins Creek and the rest area, an overpass extending the existing Single Tunnel land bridge across the rest of I-40, and new culverts at Cold Spring Creek and Groundhog Creek that will better serve wildlife. In Tennessee, the top goals are a wildlife-friendly shoulder and potential wildlife/pedestrian overpass at Waterville Bridge, and replacement of the culverts at Naillon Branch and Laurel Hollow.
It’s an ambitious list, and Hunter is quick to note that many “ifs” surround its completion.
“This requires feasibility studies by the agency,” he said. “We’re the biologists who made the recommendations, but we’re not highway engineers.”
The gorge contains plenty of unstable geology, so proper engineering analysis will be key to determining if the group’s desired solutions can be implemented. The second challenge will be securing funding. Building a wildlife overpass, for example, costs significantly more than building a basic traffic bridge. However, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $350 million for pilot projects to reduce wildlife mortality on roads. With a collaborative group already in place to hash out these issues, Hunter is optimistic that Safe Passage could be a competitive candidate for some of those dollars.
“Without collaboration, without partnership, this would not be possible,” said Hunter.
The first established presence of the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has been confirmed in North Carolina.
Initial surveys indicate that the pest’s known distribution is within a 5-mile radius in Forsyth County near Interstate 40 in
Kernersville and extending to the Guilford County line, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reports. Survey efforts are ongoing.
The insect was detected last year near the North Carolina-Virginia line, and since then the DACS has ramped up surveillance in the state.
“Members of our Plant Industry Division and the N.C. Forest Service are moving quickly to eradicate this brightly colored pest, and we ask members of the public to be on the lookout for more spotted lanternfly and report any finds,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
Native to northern China, the spotted lanternfly was introduced to Korea in 2004, where it became a major pest. It was first detected in the United States in 2014, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Since then, it has been found in 12 states, including four detections in North Carolina, though all of those were dead adults. Reproducing infestations have been found throughout Pennsylvania as well as in portions of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. Spotted lanternfly poses a serious threat to the state’s wine and grape industries and can feed on and cause damage to over 70 plants species, including apples, roses and other landscape plants, said Dr. Bill Foote, director of the NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division. Early detection and rapid response is critical to control the pest, and concentrated surveys are continuing in the initial Forsyth County discovery area to determine if the pest is in additional locations, and treatments took place last week to catch the mated females before they begin laying eggs.
If you see a suspect spotted lanternfly in North Carolina submit a picture through the online reporting tool at ncagr.gov/slf.
ncagr.gov/slf. Donated photo
CUTE COLLECTION of BIRD HOUSE SIGNS! 12
different styles to choose from
Celebrating 26
Years Affairs of the Heart
accepted for a 13-week course starting Thursday, Aug. 4.
Training sessions will be held on 13 consecutive Thursday mornings plus one local field trip to be held on a Saturday morning. Topics will include soils and fertilizers; lawns and weeds; woody ornamentals; landscaping with native plants; vegetable gardening; pesticide selection and use; insect and disease problem diagnostics; plant identification; integrated pest management; and plant propagation. Graduates of the program become Master Gardener Volunteers who help the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service provide research-based information to Haywood County residents about lawn, garden and landscape care, with an emphasis on environmental stewardship. Course cost of $150 covers materials and fees. Candidates must be full-time Haywood County residents and agree to volunteer at least 40 hours in various activities in the 12 months after the class. For more information, contact 828.456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.
Tip a glass to volunteers
Mainspring Conservation Trust will hold an appreciation happy hour for its volunteers 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at Lazy Hiker Brewery in Franklin.
In addition to toasting their efforts with a cold one, Mainspring will announce its volunteer of the year. RSVP to Rachel at rnewcomb@mainspringconserves.org.
Great Smokies STORAGELLC
Call 828.506.4112 greatsmokiesstorage.com
Help the Great Smoky Mountains National Park stay in shape with Smokies Service Days, a series of park-led “worktogethers” on weekends throughout the year.
Volunteers will help park staff complete much-needed work across the park, including invasive plant removal, structural fire prevention and cemetery clean-ups. Each
service day also offers optional enrichment activities with park staff to learn more about the park’s history and biodiversity.
The project schedule for 2022 is: ■ Independence Day Cleanup 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 9, at Chimneys Picnic Area. Limited to 15 participants, ages 10 and up. ■ Green Thumb Gardening and Fantastic Fencing, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 30, at Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Limited to 15 participants, ages 12 and up. ■ Campground Cleanup 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 13, at Smokemont Campground. Limited to 15 participants, ages 10 and up. ■ English Ivy Pull 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 27, at Elkmont. Limited to 20 participants, ages 16 and up. ■ Campground Cleanup 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 10, at Cataloochee Campground. Limited to 15 participants, ages 10 and up. ■ National Public Lands Day, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 24, at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. Limited to 10 participants, ages 12 and up. ■ Fire Prevention in Daisy Town, 9 a.m. to
noon Saturday, Oct. 15, at Elkmont. Limited to 15 participants, ages 15 and up. ■ “The Deep Creep” costumed cleanup 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 29, at Deep Creek Picnic Area. Limited to 15 participants, all ages. ■ Veterans Day Cemetery Cleanup, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Whaley-Plemmons Cemetery. Limited to 25 participants, all ages.
Registration is required, with more information about each activity provided closer to the date. Tools and safety gear will be provided, but volunteers should bring their own water and bagged lunch. To register, email grsm_volunteer_office@nps.gov and enter “Smokies Service Days” in the subject line. Include the date and activity you wish to register for, the number of people in your group and the age of each volunteer.
Volunteer sweep away debris during a structure fire
prevention project. Donated photo
Flower arranging class offered
Flower grower Meg Thurman will teach a flower arranging class at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 14, in the Atrium at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
Thurman is one of the owner/operators of Snake Song Shop, Farm and Co-op and has grown flowers for years. Her arrangements and general aesthetic have been on display throughout the Sylva area.
Free, with space limited. Hosted by the Jackson County Public Library and co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. Call 828.586.2016 to register.
Celebrate native plants
The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference is returning this year, with a full menu of field trips, lectures and walks planned for July 20-23 at Western Carolina University.
Since it was first held in 1984, the conference has been an annual highlight for all manner of plant enthusiasts, drawing plant lovers and plant experts from across the country to learn about and celebrate Western North Carolina’s native plants.
Conference registration is $145. A new virtual option allows viewing of select sessions via Zoom. Learn more or register at nativeplantconference.wcu.edu.
Dr. C. Rhett Jackson works on a
stream project. Donated photo
Trace the changes to mountain streams
Find out how mountain development impacts valley streams during a lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.
Dr. C. Rhett Jackson, John Porter Stevens Distinguished Professor of Water Resources at the University of Georgia, will present “Unpaved Roads, Ditches, Missing Riparian Buffers, Fertilization: Why Many Mountain Streams Aren’t Cold, Clean, and Pristine.”
He’ll discuss how low-density rural development in the Blue Ridge Mountains has shifted rural valley streams from wide, complex, shady, cold, clear, leaf litterdependent streams, to narrow, simple, sunny, warm, turbid, nutrient-subsidized, algal-dependent waterways. This causes fish, amphibian and macroinvertebrate communities to become more like those found in the Piedmont. Best Management Practices developed for forestry and agriculture could greatly reduce these negative impacts — but the question is how to encourage these practices in areas with few local tax resources.
The lecture is the second installment in this year’s Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, with free talks held every Thursday at 6 p.m. through Sept. 8. The July 14 lecture is sponsored by Kim and Rich Daugherty. For a full schedule, visit highlandsbiological.org.
Go back in time on the Bartram Trail
Learn about the legacy of the Bartram Trail at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at the Macon County Public Library.
Brent Martin, executive director of the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy, will present on the trail’s history and the travels of naturalist and artist William Bartram through the Southern Appalachians in the spring of 1775. Martin will also give an overview of the trail today, as well as current issues and projects.
Martin is a writer and the former regional director for The Wilderness Society. He currently runs an eco-tourism business, Alarka Expeditions, with his wife Angela, and recently released a new book, “George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina.”
Join Plastics Free July
A documentary calling attention to the problems associated with plastics will be screened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library as part of the global Plastics Free July effort.
“The Story of Plastic” is a 90-minute documentary that reveals the facts behind the increase in plastics production, the pollution it causes and the fact that most types of plastics cannot be recycled. The proliferation of plastic has become one of the world’s — and the region’s — most pressing environmental problems.
As a follow-up to the screening, a Plastic Reduction Resource Fair will be held 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at the library. Representatives from area organizations dealing with plastic will be available to answer questions and give updates on the issues they cause.
The events are sponsored by WNC Climate Action Coalition and Outdoor Mission Community. For more information about the film showing or for a link to watch it online, contact jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov. plasticfreejuly.org.
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