Making Connections for Wildlife
Aligning Transportation Projects with State Wildlife Action Plans:  A Step-by-Step Guide for Integrated Conservation Planning

Next Steps and New Ideas in Designing and Implementing Mitigation Measures

Þ    Encourage greater interagency coordination – develop a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the processes for wildlife agency review of transportation projects, thereby facilitating collaborative efforts to minimize impacts from transportation projects and develop appropriate mitigation measures.

Þ    Based on these overlays of upcoming transportation projects and identified wildlife linkages, carry out targeted field visits to identify existing barriers to movement and the best locations for underpasses or overpasses these conflict zones. Invite local wildlife agency biologists to participate in these field visits and the design and placement of potential mitigations.

Þ    Develop guidelines to direct project managers and assist in biological review to support the mitigation development and design process. Guidelines should refer back to the State Wildlife Action Plan and alert the state wildlife agency to areas of potential conflict between transportation and wildlife linkage

Resources for Developing Guidelines:

Guidelines for Culvert Construction to Accommodate Fish and Wildlife Movement and Passage  (Arizona Game and Fish Department)

Guidelines and Criteria for Stream-Road Crossings (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Massachusetts River and Stream Crossing Standards: Technical Guidelines (University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation)

Safe Passage (User’s guide to developing effective highway crossings for carnivores and other wildlife)

Wildlife and Roads (online decision-making tool to help mitigate roads for wildlife)