Western Transportation Institute

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/35

The Western Transportation Institute is the country's largest National University Transportation Center focused on rural transportation issues. Because we live and work in rural communities, we understand the critical roles rural transportation plays in the lives of people, in the environment and in the economy. We draw from our eight integrated research groups to create solutions that work for our clients, sponsors and rural transportation research partners. WTI focuses on rural issues, but some of our program areas also address the concerns of the urban environment. Whatever the objective, we bring innovation and expertise to each WTI transportation research project. WTI's main facility with its state-of-the-art labs is adjacent to the Montana State University campus in Bozeman, Montana. We have additional offices in Alberta, Canada, and central Washington, and a large testing facility in rural Montana near Lewistown. Contact us to find out how to address your rural transportation research needs.

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Author: search.filters.author.Ament, Robert J.

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    Bees and Butterflies in Roadside Habitats: Identifying Patterns, Protecting Monarchs, and Informing Management
    (ITD Reseach Program, 2023-07) Meinzen, Thomas C.; Debinski, Diane M.; Burkle, Laura A.; Ament, Robert J.
    Pollinating insects provide vital ecosystem services and are facing global declines and habitat loss . Roadsides are increasingly regarded as important potential areas f or enhancing pollinator habitat. Understanding which roadsides best support pollinators — and why — is essential to helping locate and prioritize pollinator conservation efforts across roadside networks. To support this effort, we assessed butterfly, bee, and flowering plant species richness and abundance on a set of 63 stratified randomized roadside transects in State-managed rights-of-way in SE Idaho. Our research evaluated pollinator diversity as a function of highway class (interstate, U.S., and state highways), remotely sensed NDVI values (a measure of vegetation greenness), and floral resources. We found that smaller highways and lower (less green) maximum NDVI values were associated with significantly more bee species and total bees. Roadsides bordering sagebrush habitats typically had low NDVI values and higher bee and butterfly species richness, potentially contributing to this observed pattern. Butterfly richness increased in association with higher floral abundance in roadsides. Additionally, we identified and mapped 1,363 roadside patches of milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), larval host plant for the imperiled monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), in a survey of over 900 miles of southern Idaho highways. Based on these results and a literature review, we recommend management strategies to promote the health of pollinator populations in Idaho’s rights-of-way and provide data to help ITD prioritize areas for pollinator-friendly management practices and habitat restoration within their highway system.
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    Animal Vehicle Collision Reduction and Habitat Connectivity Pooled Fund Study – Literature Review
    (Nevada Department of Transportation, 2021-12) Huijser, M.P.; Ament, Robert J.; Bell, M.; Clevenger, A. P.; Fairbank, E.R.; Gunson, K.E.; McGuire, T.
    This report contains a summary of past research and new knowledge about the effectiveness of mitigation measures aimed at reducing animal-vehicle collisions and at providing safe crossing opportunities for wildlife. The measures are aimed at terrestrial large bodied wild mammal species, free roaming large livestock species (e.g. cattle, horses), free roaming large feral species (e.g. “wild” horses and burros), and small animal species (amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals). While mitigation is common, it is best to follow a three-step approach: avoidance, mitigation, and compensation or “off-site” mitigation. If reducing collisions with large wild mammals is the only objective, the most effective measures include roadside animal detection systems, wildlife culling, wildlife relocation, anti-fertility treatments, wildlife barriers (fences),and wildlife fences in combination with wildlife crossing structures. If the objectives also include maintaining or improving connectivity for large wild mammals, then wildlife barriers (fences) in combination with wildlife crossing structures are most effective. Measures for large domestic mammal species are largely similar, though for free roaming livestock there are legal, moral and ethical issues. For small animal species, temporary or permanent road closure and road removal are sometimes implemented, but barriers in combination with crossing structures are the most common.
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    Integrated adaptive design for wildlife movement under climate change
    (2015-11) Lister, Nina-Marie; Brocki, Marta; Ament, Robert J.
    Climate change is anticipated to alter both wildlife movement and distributions. Despite mounting evidence that wildlife-crossing infrastructure offers a reliable, physical solution to the linked problems of wildlife road mortality and habitat fragmentation, pervasive barriers - from economic to governance structures - prevent the widespread introduction of an infrastructure network. To overcome these barriers, and to cope with the challenges posed by climate change, we argue that proactive, anticipatory planning and evidence-based, integrated highway-impact mitigation strategies are needed. Specifically, wildlife-crossing infrastructure should emphasize an integrated and adaptive approach to constructing innovative, modular, and potentially moveable structures that can be transferred from one location to another as monitoring of habitats and wildlife needs indicate. Continued investment in fixed, static structures, which are typically based on engineering standards designed for traffic loads rather than wildlife movement, may prove ineffectual as habitats change in composition and location, potentially leading to associated changes in the locations of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
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