Wildlife and Washington Highways Ungulate Vehicle Interactions Olympia, Washington February 25, 2007 Marion Carey Fish and Wildlife Program Manager Environmental Services Douglas B. MacDonald Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond Chief of Staff

WSDOT Maintains a Database on Deer and Elk that are Removed from Highways Statewide  Maintenance personnel report information on deer and elk removed from the right-of-way.  The database currently has over 64,000 records, dating back to as early as 1973, with the majority of reporting occurring from the 1990’s on. Evidence of a deer/vehicle collision. WSDOT Photo

An Average of 2,800 Deer and 77 Elk are Removed Each Year From State Highways by WSDOT Maintenance Personnel.

How Does Deer Highway Mortality in Washington State Compare with Other States? 1.New York State Department of Ecological Conservation data. 2.Ohio Department of Insurance data. 3.Michigan Department of Natural Resources data. Reported Deer Collisions Washington New York Ohio Michigan In Thousands State Number of Collisions

Deer/Vehicle Collision Locations As Reported by WSDOT Maintenance

Elk/Vehicle Collision Locations As Reported by WSDOT Maintenance

Deer Removed by Species and Month ( )

Questions? Photo WDFW

Photo by Ron Dexter Photo by Dusty Davis Photo from Photo by Bill Davis From

Radio Collar Activated Signs  This animal detection system is in place on US 101 near Sequim. It was install in  Nine individual elk ( 8 cows and 1 bull) from a herd of are equipped with modified radio collars, which trigger one of several crossing signs when the animal is within ¼ mile of the roadway.  Prior to installation there were 15 elk vehicle collisions over a 6 year period. After installation, there has only been one elk vehicle collision in the last 6 years even though the annual average daily traffic volumes have increased by 2000 trips per day and traffic speeds have increased in the area occupied by the herd.

Radio Collar Activated Signs (cont.)  Advantages The signs are only activated when the animals are within 400 m of the roadway. Flashing signs are more effective than non-flashing signs.  Disadvantages Will only work for herd animals or small local populations which are micro- managed. ( WDFW was already monitoring this herd with radio collars.) Expensive, due to the costs associated with capture, handling, and monitoring of animals. The number of collared individuals needs to be correlated with the total population.

 Disadvantages continued Not all animals are guaranteed to cross the highway in the presence of an radio-collared individual. The signs may be triggered for long periods of time when the animals are resting or foraging within ¼ mile of the highway but are not visible from the highway. Motorists who do not observe animals every time the sign is flashing are more likely to ignore the signs in the future. Radio Collar Activated Signs (cont.)