Animal Underpass at Kyburz Flat Dedicated Finally, an answer to the age-old question: Why did the wolverine not cross the road? Because there's an underpass Published on Jun 26, 2009 - 3:23:22 PM
Katrina Pierce - Caltrans, Peter Huebner - Sierra County supervisor and Sandra Jacobson, U.S. Forest Service cut the symbolic ribbon. Photo: YubaNet
Sagehen Station Manager Jeff Brown. Photo: YubaNet
HWY 89, Calif. June 26, 2009 - Officials from Sierra County, Caltrans, U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Game, UC Berkeley-Sagehen Creek Field Station and members of the public came together as the Highway 89 Stewardship Team seven years ago. The goal: Reduce the impacts of Highway 89 on all species of wildlife and provide data to mitigate the hazards of wildlife/vehicle collisions. In the United States, 1.5 million collisions between wildlife and vehicles occur every year.
On Thursday, the first step in the long-term project was completed. The 12' by 19' underpass on Hwy 89, complete with cameras, was officially dedicated. Sagehen Station Manager Jeff Brown welcomed some thirty people to the official dedication ceremony. He highlighted the cooperation between local, state and federal agencies and local residents that makes this project possible.
"Sagehen Creek Field Station (Sagehen) is an ideal research base for further research on Highway 89, aside from the obvious benefit of its proximity. Sagehen is installing hundreds of data collection points for vegetation as well as certain wildlife species. Towers for remotely sensed location data from radio-tagged wildlife species (including martens, black bears and small mammals) will provide real time information on animal movements, a key data need in investigations on the effects of highways on animals. A number of state of the art remote sensing projects will provide detailed information on many aspects of the Experimental Forest and its surroundings. With minimal to no additional funding, these sites will enable information to be gathered beyond the Experimental Forest to Highway 89. Given the longevity of Sagehen and its revival at this time, its capacity to support long term research investigations on highway issues is key to the success of many of the research projects envisioned," said Sandra Jacobson, Pacific Southwest Research Station wildlife biologist and team coordinator of the Highway 89 Stewardship Team.
U.S. Forest Service Sandra Jacobson. Photo: YubaNet
Katrina Pierce, Caltrans. Photo: YubaNet
Jacobson gave a brief overview of the project, highlighting the uniqueness of the project. Hwy 89 is the only long-term research project in the United States and benefits from the grassroots Highway 89 Stewardship Team. "We have developed an educational school year curriculum for students grades K-12 with a summer work-study program for older youth in cooperation with the Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District. This program involves local students in hands-on learning based on the mitigation and research efforts of the Stewardship Team," Jacobson said.
Current and future research efforts of the team include investigating the role of de-icing salts on the attraction of deer onto the highway, DFG's radio-telemetry research project on the Loyalton-Truckee mule deer herd, study of barrier fencing and escape structure, development of decision tools for placement of mitigation measures based on Caltrans' Value Engineering tool and ongoing study of the use by wildlife of the underpass.
The Kyburz underpass. Photo: YubaNet
Everyone's paying attention. Photo: YubaNet
Sierra County District 2 Supervisor Peter Huebner thanked all the participants and voiced his satisfaction with progress made so far: "It was a very long process, but it is well worth it." Huebner is especially proud of the local students' involvement. He presented Sierra County pins to the principals of the stewardship team, thanking each and every one for their efforts.
Katrina Pierce, Chief of Environmental Planning for Caltrans District 3, said Caltrans was pleased to approve the request of Sierra County supervisors for a Transportation Enhancement grant of $720,000 for this project.
Curious doe investigating the underpass. Photo courtesy Sandra Jacobson USFS
Project objectives:
- Reduce the impacts of Highway 89 on all species of wildlife
- Increase the highway's permeability to wildlife movement
- Increase safety for the traveling public by reducing deer/vehicle collisions
- Create an experimental platform focused on highway environmental issues
