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 Image credit: http://www.trucktrend.com
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 Image credit: http://www.trucktrend.com
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.
i. Moose in Southern New England... image credit: http://www.yankeemagazine.com
Moose distribution in North America image credit: http://www.gov.mb.ca
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/km 2 = 0.5/mi 2 (range-wide 0.03-5/km2 =<0.1-14/mi 2 ) 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
Moose distribution in Massachusetts Berkshire Region Connecticut River Valley Central Highlands Quabbin Reservoir Metropolitan Worcester- Boston: occasional sightings - higher elevations - early successional patches SE and Cape Cod: few to no sightings
ii. Moose Research...
(1) Collected and compiled data on Moose-vehicle Collisions (MVC) throughout Massachusetts...... including date, time, location, age/gender, outcome. (image credit: Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
(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
Road class and speed limits. 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)
Other road and landscape variables around MVCs in Massachusetts. Variable Description ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Traffic volume Average daily traffic volume Slope Relief Connectivity Road density Mean slope along 8 1.5-km transects. Max. relief along 8 transects. Habitat connectedness in circular buffer. Km/km 2 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
iii. Moose-Vehicle Collisions... Image credit: Ashley Stoddard
Road mortality of collared moose (n = 4) 1) Rte 2 in Gardner (brainworm suspected) 2) Rte 122 in Petersham 3) Rte 112 in Huntington 4) Rte 102 in Lee MA 2) 122 122 3) 112 *MVC not reported moose died months later
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.
Comparison of MVCs Location Moose Pop. Annual MVC Pop. % HFR 1 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 1 HFR = Human Fatality Rate = HF/MVC.
MVC per year 1980-2012 (reported to Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
MVC per month 1980-2012 (reported to Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife) 80 70 75 60 50 40 48 47 48 57 30 20 10 0 32 31 27 22 17 11 8 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
83 232 56 52
MVC and Road Type The influence of speed limit and traffic volume based on known locations. 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%) 87% (An additional 79 MVCs were unknown locations, i.e., town only.)
Relative probability of MVCs based on road class and increasing habitat. (5 km scale, Worcester Plateau, Massachusetts)
image credit: www.faceyman.com
iv. Moose x Roads... Crossings and habitat selection
Moose Path CRW Path 10 CRW Paths Moose Road Crossings 100 CRW Paths
State Highways Major Local Roads Minor Local Roads Minor Local Roads Forest Roads Winter
Probability of use by moose
Topography and MVC Locations Elevation Profile of Route 2 Hot Spot 25 km 37 reported MVC 400 Road Profile Rte2 Hot Spot 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Topography and MVC Locations Elevation Profile of Route 2 Orange-Greenfield 12 km 2 reported MVC 400 Road Profile Rte2 west-cent 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
A combination of factors leads to MVC hot spots... Forested Habitat Moose Abundance Human Densities Traffic Volumes Road Class & Speed Seasonal Movements Landscape Variables
Roads affect movements and habitat use: - Interstate highways as major barriers - State highways as semi-permeable barriers - Occasional avoidance of local roads - Seasonal effects Image credit: pinterest.com Image credit: Joseph Robertia, Redoubt Reporter
image credit: http://portland Press Herarld. v. Reducing MVCs
Image credit: http://clan-donaldson.com
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)
image credit: http://www.pictureboston.com
image credit: USGS Mass. Coop. Fish & Wildlife Research Unit