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Course Goal: The purpose of this course is to provide a constructive forum for sharing experiences and exploring new ideas, perspectives, and concepts leading to an expansion of the knowledgebase on issues involving wildlife crossings. The Field Course will draw on the vast range of expertise from biologists, engineers, planners, and others engaged in creating successful wildlife crossings. Rather than providing an introduction to wildlife crossings, this advanced-level course will tackle the more complex issues that each of us faces in the planning, design, funding and monitoring of wildlife crossings.

The course location at Snoqualmie Pass – the site of a major planned transportation and wildlife crossings project on Interstate 90 – provides an exceptional opportunity to learn from a project that is currently underway. By using this project as a case study and the focus of a field trip on the second day of the course, participants will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the hurdles as well as the achievements that have resulted in a comprehensive proposal to construct a suite of wildlife crossings along this stretch of interstate.

Attendees: The workshop is for planners, engineers, and biologists from resource and transportation agencies, municipalities, counties, non-profits, and foundations. We hope the course will facilitate communication and information sharing between these groups as well as build enthusiasm for wildlife crossings throughout Western North America.

Course Planning and Logistics***: The 2008 Washington Wildlife Crossings Field Course will be a 3-day course held from June 2^nd to June 4^th in Washington along the I-90 Corridor - just 80 miles east of Seattle and located near the funky little mountain town of Roslyn, where Northern Exposure was filmed. We are limiting the course participants to approximately 150 in order to maintain productive group discussions (approximately 83 spaces are currently taken). To ensure representation from across Western North America, including Canada, we will be encouraging participation from all the Western States and Canadian provinces.

***PLEASE NOTE THE NEW LOCATION AND VENUE FOR THE COURSE: SUNCADIA RESORT NEAR ROSLYN, WASHINGTON

Copyright Colby Chester, Conservation NW Board member

TOPICS COVERED

Monday, June 2nd

10am – 12pm (Optional Session – Introduction to Wildlife Crossings)

Session 1: State of the Science (update on research and latest studies and initiatives)

Session 2: People and Processes (NEPA, mitigation development, developing effective collaborations, public education, wildlife monitoring plans, county example)

Tuesday, June 3rd

Session 3: I-90 Case Study and Field Trip (and other Western case studies)

Wednesday, June 4th

Session 4: Engineering Wildlife Crossings (new construction vs. retrofitting, value engineering)

Session 5: Measuring Success and Monitoring (identifying objectives, adaptive management, citizen science)

Session 6: Managing the Whole Linkage (private lands, recreation management, role of foundations)

Session 7: Western Governors' Association (Wildlife Corridors Policy Initiative and Transportation Working Group update)

Session 8: Funding Mechanisms (I-90, federal, state legislative perspective)

Thursday, June 5th: 7pm - Evening Public Forum (optional but encouraged!)

Location: Seattle Mountaineers Building

Audience: county commissioners, legislators, transportation consultants, environmental groups, public at large

For a full draft agenda, please click here

Field Course Hosts

 

Conservation Northwest Defenders of Wildlife The Wilderness Society URS Corporation US Fish and Wildlife Service

With Generous Support from