Super Eco

Photo credit: donjd2, flickr

What happens when highways and manmade construction slice through wildlife migration routes and home ranges? The consequences are not happy for either the cars or the animals. Beyond the inevitable toll to animals and drivers from highway accidents, ecosystems are thrown into disarray when wildlife can't maintain normal roaming and migratory patterns.

Remote cameras maintained by local citizens in areas slated for development show a constant stream of animal travel. Peek at these shots of the secret world behind the trees in an area of Washington state endangered by development:

Wildlife advocates in areas where highways and development threaten the natural movement patterns of the native wildlife are asking legislators to consider the animals' needs when planning for the future. Wildlife safety fences keep animals away from busy stretches of highway. Overpasses allow larger animals to cross safely above the highway, while tiny critters can use tunnels to scurry to safety.

Crossing projects are currently under way in Banff, British Columbia; on Interstate-93 in Montana; and an innovative, six-lane interstate project on Interstate-90 in Washington. "It is one of the most novel and progressive highway-mitigation projects probably in the world," said Tony Clevenger, a Montana State University expert who has consulted with the latter project, in an article for The Seattle Times. "It's much broader than just reducing collisions with wildlife. There is terrestrial connectivity for everything from snails and slugs all the up to black bear and lynx."