2016 CONFERENCE: Presentation Abstracts

Please Note: Presenting authors are indicated with an *.

Some of the presentations from the 2016 conference are available to download. View the list. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Major Storm: preparing for the worst while hoping for the best
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 10:00am - 11:30am Room: Algonquin
10:00am - 10:20am	The New York State Community Risk and Resiliency Act: Mainstreaming climate change *Mark Lowery, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; William Nechamen, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Thomas Snow, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Joshua Thiel, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The Community Risk and Resiliency Act’s purpose is to ensure that certain state monies, facility-siting regulations and permits include consideration of sea-level rise, flooding and storm surge. This presentation will describe CRRA’s requirements, and the Department of Environmental Conservation’s approach to implementing CRRA through adoption of a state flood risk management standard and its incorporation into Department of Environmental Conservation programs. Department of Environmental Conservation’s development of new guidance for implementation of Environmental Conservation Law Article 15 Title 5, Protection of Water, including review of culverts and bridges, streamway setbacks, and streambank and shoreline stabilization, will also be discussed.
10:20am - 10:50am	Development of Advanced Flood Recovery Training Modules for Vermont and New York: Sediment Removal, Floodplain Restoration, Channel Stabilization, and Bridge and Culvert Replacement *Evan Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Environmental Associates, LLC; Roy Schiff, Milone & MacBroom, Inc. Looking back at 2011 emergency flood recovery work that occurred in rivers throughout Vermont, New York and the greater Northeast, many experts concluded that a significant portion of the work made the river and adjacent infrastructure more vulnerable to damage during subsequent floods. In most cases, the reason for this was the people directing and carrying out the work lacked proper training in river and floodplain dynamics. Training is needed to break the cycle of flood recovery activities that leave post-flood river channels located near public infrastructure and private property more impacted and more vulnerable to damages from future flooding. Training programs have been initiated in Vermont and New York to provide training of state river engineers and scientists, state transportation engineers and technicians, county conservation managers, municipal public works directors, municipal highway superintendents, and others. This project, sponsored by the Lake Champlain Basin Program with the intent of benefiting resource managers in Vermont and New York, developed advanced stand‐alone training modules to further education to improve flood recovery and reduce future risks. The training modules are organized into four (4) groups based in similar practices: Sediment and Large Wood Removal; Floodplain Restoration; Channel Stabilization; and Bridge and Culvert Replacement. Each module contains an introduction to river geomorphic and habitat processes, an alternatives analysis with a focus on the “no action” alternative, examples of drawings and calculations from real flood recovery sites, and design exercises toward the end of the training. One pilot training for Sediment and Large Wood Removal was completed in early 2016 with a group of engineers and planners from the Vermont Agencies of Transportation and Natural Resources. At the time of this writing a second pilot training is being planning in Essex County, New York for spring of 2016. This presentation will provide an introduction to the four modules, followed by greater detail on one of the more common practices along transportation systems during flood recovery: channel stabilization. Channel stabilization practices range from traditional bank stabilization with rock armor, to advanced practices for stabilizing incising channels while minimizing the impact on aquatic habitat. Flood recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 across Vermont and New York, some of which are ongoing today, provided hundreds of learning opportunities and case studies on how channel stabilization practices can be implemented successfully and unsuccessfully. We will cover a handful of these case studies in relation to the guidance provided in the Advanced Flood Recovery Training Modules. These case studies will include multiple bed armor sites throughout Vermont and follow-up efforts to address aquatic organism passage barriers, channel restoration work along two alluvial fans in Keene, New York, and others.
10:50am - 11:10am	Streamlining emergency coordination for engineering and the environment *John Falge, New York State Department of Transportation This will be a panel presentation on emergency processing for resiliency and sustainability for replacement of a collapsed culvert in Champlain New York. New York State Department of Transportation engineering staff worked in collaboration with State and Federal regulators to deliver a product in a condensed time frame which balanced and meet the needs of the environment and traveling public. We will give an overview of our emergency process and use the Champlain culvert collapse as a case study of streamlining. The project went from a failed inspection to complete replacement in less that 30 days. All permits were in place and alternatives were progressed to come to a consensus LEPDA determination.
11:10am - 11:30am	Application of the Environmental Monitoring Toolkit on Transportation Projects to Ensure Permit Compliance, Environmental Management and Ecological Stewardship *Ben Morrow, McCormick Taylor; *Gerry Hammel, McCormick Taylor; *Billy Meredith, McCormick Taylor The constantly changing regulatory environment presents significant challenges for owner/operators to efficiently and effectively deliver projects on time and on budget while also maintaining compliance with all applicable environmental rules and regulations. This regulatory environment combined with the need to renew and upgrade aging infrastructure with limited funding opportunities often makes nvironmental compliance a challenge. Owner/Operators are faced with ever increasing state and federal attention focused on environmental compliance. A strong construction oversight environmental compliance program is needed as the pace of construction has escalated and compliance requirements evolved. This presentation will provide an overview of a successful "Environmental Compliance Program". Environmental Construction Oversight Program was created to create compliance assurance mechanisms and provide boots on the ground environmental monitoring to relay the myriad of environmental issues that can arise during construction. The presentation will go step by step through the process that was developed to integrate environmental monitoring and compliance into a construction program. It will describe: roles and responsibilities, required knowledge, skills and experience for the environmental monitors, communication tools, issue resolution and interaction with regulatory agencies. This presentation will also discuss the benefits and the challenges of a successful Environmental Compliance Program, and how the environmental monitors have been successful in complimenting the construction management staff to evolve into essential team members. Lastly, the presentation will demonstrate the tools that have been developed to maintain the required project documentation and compliance reporting. The ever increasing reporting requirements take significant time and present challenges for maintaining complete and organized records. A key component to the development of a successful Compliance Program is the development and utilization of a web-based multi-user Environmental Monitoring Toolkit that is the central location of all environmental documentation, including inspection reports.
Power of Partnerships: nationally established, locally applied
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 10:00am - 11:30am Room: Iroquois
10:00am - 10:20am	Getting the Most out of Transportation Liaison Relationships: Expediting Project Delivery Through Partnerships Julianne Schwarzer; Damaris Santiago; *Deirdre Remley, Federal Highway Administration; *Michelle Lennox, National Marine Fisheries Service The SHRP2 Product C19: Expediting Project Delivery aims to speed project planning and delivery through the introduction of 24 proven strategies for avoiding or mitigating 16 common causes of delay in roadway capacity projects. One of these strategies is to promote the use of “Department of Transportation (DOT)-funded resource agency liaisons.” Transportation liaisons are personnel housed in State or federal resource and regulatory agencies that facilitate the environmental and permitting review process for transportation projects. The U.S. DOT and State DOTs have provided funding to support transportation liaison positions since 1998, through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA), and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).State DOTs may use Federal-aid highway funding to support transportation liaisons under the authority of Federal law codified at 23 United States Code 139(j). The goal of a transportation liaison is to improve project delivery and predictability and speed up the permit and consultation process by providing input and comments on projects early in the planning process. Early coordination and communication can alert DOTs of environmental issues so that they can avoid and minimize environmental impacts prior to submitting a project for review. Not only does this process improve environmental outcomes, it also saves the DOT time and money. At the national level, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) supports a national liaison at each of the following agencies: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Each of these individuals are responsible for national level coordination with FHWA, and for coordinating with, and promoting liaison positions in the field. This session will feature a panel of national liaisons, and any State liaisons attending NETWC will be encouraged to participate in the session. During the session, each national liaison will speak briefly about the role that liaisons can play in their agency, positive outcomes associated with liaisons, and challenges experienced to date. FHWA will also present on current efforts to support liaisons in the field. Following the panel presentations, FHWA will moderate a facilitated discussion among the panelists, and between the panelists and session participants. The panelists will come prepared with tangible resources to help participants consider how to begin, or improve liaison relationships. This session is intended to be a conversation between liaisons at all levels and their transportation counterparts. It will help States without liaisons better understand how to utilize them, and help States with liaisons figure out how to ensure their partnerships are bringing about the greatest amount of mutual benefit.
10:20am - 10:50am	Working Together: Improving Conditions for Natural Resources and Infrastructure in Massachusetts *David Paulson, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; *Tim Dexter, Massachusetts Department of Transportation In 2008, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife - Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program entered into an interagency agreement to streamline Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) review. The Agreement includes detailed early project coordination, evaluation and modification of preliminary project designs to reduce impacts, and the investigation of creative cost-effective mitigation opportunities. The success of the Agreement has led to the design and construction of projects that improve the existing conditions of roadway infrastructure and the natural resources they interact with. Specifically, public safety and rare species conservation have benefited through aquatic and terrestrial accommodation that increase stream crossing infrastructure resiliency to severe storms; and the incorporation of fluvial geomorphology and bioengineering principles into project development have improved aquatic habitat and reduced the impact of transportation infrastructure on natural watershed processes.
10:50am - 11:10am	Ten Years of the Eco-Logical Approach: Looking Back at What We’ve Accomplished, and Forward to What We’ve yet to Do *Mike Ruth - Federal Highway Administration; *Julianne Schwarzer - U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center; David Williams - Federal Highway Administration This session will provide the National, State and local perspective on implementing a landscape-scale approach over time. Panelists will examine their initial awareness of the approach, through implementation, and share both positive outcomes, challenges faced, and gaps in information or research to date. In addition, FHWA will share information about new resources available to practitioners and the findings of its most recent Eco-Logical Annual Report. After the presentations, the session moderator facilitate a dialogue amongst the panelists and with the audience about Eco-Logical in practice, and about the changing culture towards landscape-scale approaches. Background: In 2006, eight federal agencies came together to develop shared vision of how infrastructure development and ecosystem conservation can be integrated to harmonize economic, environmental, and social needs and objectives. This vision was published as publication of Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects. The eight federal agencies included the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the publication. Since 2006, State and local governments across the country have worked to put Eco-Logical into practice. FHWA has facilitated implementation via the 2007 Eco-Logical Grant Program, and the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Implementation Assistance Program. In addition, States or regions began landscape-scale planning and development independently. At present, at least 24 number of States have a documented implementation of a landscape-scale approach, and more plan to come on line over the next year. At the national level, inter-agency dialogue among the Eco-Logical Signatory agencies has continued, and all have noted a renewed emphasis on a landscape-scale approaches across the Federal government. Key recent milestones include: The updated Red Book - September 2015; The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum on Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Federal Department of Environmental Conservationision Making - October 2015; The Department of the Interior Landscape-Scale Mitigation Policy - October 2015; and The Presidential Memorandum on Mitigating Impacts on Natural Resources from Development and Encouraging Related Private Investment - October 2015.
11:10am - 11:30am	Building Town Capacity for Improving Road-stream Crossings in Massachusetts *Timothy Chorey, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration; Kristen H. Ferry, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration Massachusetts has over 30,000 road-stream crossings, primarily located on public roads owned or maintained by towns. Nearly half of the ~6000 road-stream crossings in MA that have been assessed for aquatic organism passability pose barriers to fish and wildlife. Additionally, many of these undersized and aging structures were not designed to handle the increased frequency and intensity of contemporary storm flows. Flooding, culvert failure, and road washouts from storms such as Hurricane Irene in 2011 have increased public awareness of problem culverts, but despite this heightened awareness, few road-stream crossing replacement projects meeting required upgraded design standards have been completed. In response, the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration formalized its Stream Continuity Program in 2014 to help towns build capacity for constructing better designed culvert replacements. The program’s first objective was the completion of a formal needs assessment to understand and quantify obstacles that local infrastructure managers face when replacing culverts. Study results demonstrated that obtaining funding for project design and construction, environmental permitting, and state engineering review are the largest obstacles for towns attempting to complete culvert replacements that meet improved standards. We used information from our study to develop tools and approaches for helping communities advance culvert replacement projects that simultaneously meet improved design standards for aquatic organism passage and storm hazard reduction. Specific task we have completed include developed document examples and templates, conducted training culvert replacement projects, and reviewed low cost structures, BMPs, and various project inefficiencies.
Water to Weeds: managing our roadsides
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 10:00am - 11:30am Room: Wright
10:00am - 10:30am	Understanding Allelopathy Science as a Means to Reduce Herbicide Use for Woody Plant Control *Timothy Chick, Paul Smith's College For over 50 years, electric utility companies have sought to reduce the amount of tall growing woody vegetation that could grow into transmission lines and disrupt power to their customers. Early work by Bramble and Byrnes in the 1950s and continuing research by many others has produced a fairly sophisticated approach to limiting tree/power line conflicts called Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM). The concept of IVM on power lines was adopted and modified by transportation agencies and called Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM). One of the tenets of both IVM and IRVM is biological control of woody plants. This involves the establishment and maintenance of relatively stable, low-growing herbaceous and shrub species that resist the invasion and growth of tree species that may eventually require removal by physical or chemical methods. Most right-of-way researchers focused on identifying plants that interfered with seedling germination and growth by limiting light competition. However, some forest, ecology and agriculture investigators in other science areas found that another factor called allelopathy also interfered with seed germination and seedling growth. Secondary metabolites, called allelochemicals, are produced by plants, released into the environment and are eventually taken up by neighboring plants. Allelochemicals can act as germination inhibitors or affect physiological processes in a plant, thus inhibiting its growth. There is a wide variance as to which tree species are affected and growth inhibition is more often seen in species growing on clay or poorly drained sandy soils. Allelochemical inhibition can occur in the absence of shade. This presentation will identify species that are known or suspected to exhibit allelopathic effects and which tree species are sensitive to allelochemicals. Research into using allelochemicals as bioherbicides and the role of allelopathy in invasive species establishment will be discussed as well. Incorporation of allelopathy science into a vegetation management program can only increase the credibility of an organization emphasizing biological control to reduce herbicide usage.
10:30am - 11:00am	Re-plumbing Roadside Ditch Networks, the Unrecognized Driver of Flooding, Water Pollution, and In-stream Erosion and Habitat Degradation *Rebecca Schneider, Department Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; David Orr, Cornell Local Roads Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Networks of roadside ditches criss-cross every watershed. Highway staff traditionally connect ditches directly to streams, however the impacts on streams have largely been overlooked. For the past 11 years, our team has been investigating the impact of roadside ditch networks on stream flooding, water pollution, and in-stream impacts. Research conducted in 8 watersheds in central New York included: mapping ditch networks using Trimble TM GPS units and ARC-GIS TM, monitoring flows using Tru-trak TM gauges, collecting water samples using ISCO TM automated samplers, and modeling. Our research indicates that ditch networks increase the effective stream channel density by 2-4 fold or greater, capture ~20% of the incoming rainfall and shunt it rapidly to the nearest stream, and deliver it as a high-velocity faucet at 94 locations within each ~40 km2 watershed. This discharge contributes to a significant increase in the magnitude of peak flows. Ditches are a conduit of suspended sediment, fecal coliforms and other pollutants from farm fields and other land uses, contributing to water pollution in streams. However poor ditch management practices make them a source of sediment as well. A survey of 999 NYS town highway superintendents indicated that approximately ½ of highway managers use scraping as the most common method of ditch management, with ditches being scraped approximately once every three years, and without follow-up hydroseeding. There are significant implications for stream health from all of these impacts. Altered stream flow regimes, including increased peak storm flows and subsequent reduced baseflows, result in either oversized, scoured-out or deeply incised headwater stream morphologies. Deposition of bedload gravel at the ditch-stream confluence forms a delta which redirects stream flow, causing in-stream bank erosion. Given the high density of ditch-stream confluences throughout each watershed, we argue that most streams are in chronic, storm-driven disequilibrium, with serious implications for stream ecosystem health and aquatic biota. We will present alternative ditch management options for “re-plumbing” watersheds to help improve the health of streams and reduce flooding and water pollution.
11:00am - 11:30am	Working with the New York State Department of Transportation to Implement Invasive Plant Prevention and Management Practices Along Adirondack Roads *Brendan Quirion, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program & The Nature Conservancy The Adirondack Park located in upstate New York is comprised of 2.4 million hectares of public and private lands that hold some of the most ecologically intact forest and wetland systems in the United States. The state and local road corridors that bisect the Park and these ecosystems are a primary pathway for the establishment and spread of terrestrial invasive plants. Detrimental terrestrial invasive plants such as common reed (Phragmites australis) and knotweed sp. (Reynoutria sp.) are often inadvertently spread through road right of way (ROW) maintenance activities and facilities. Once established along the ROW these species have the potential to inhibit commuter sight distances, block signage, damage infrastructure, increase ROW maintenance costs and spread into and degrade adjacent wildlife habitat. In 1998, the New York State Department of Transportation (New York State Department of Transportation) became one of four founding partners of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) whose mission is to protect the Adirondack region from the negative impacts of invasive species. Since 1998 APIPP has been collaborating with the New York State Department of Transportation to educate ROW maintenance staff on terrestrial invasive plant prevention and best management practices; resulting in presentations to nearly 450 local and state highway maintenance staff. APIPP also collaborates with the New York State Department of Transportation to coordinate the management of priority terrestrial invasive plant infestations affecting the Adirondack region. To date this partnership has resulted in the management of over 860 terrestrial invasive plant infestations falling on or spreading from the ROW. Out of these 860 managed infestations over 220 have progressed through 1 or more consecutive years of having no terrestrial invasive plant regrowth upon follow-up assessment. A summary of terrestrial invasive plant impacts to the ROW, prevention messages, management strategies and successes, and lessons learned as of 2015 will be presented.
11:30am - 12:00pm	Using Integrated Vegetation Management in the Control of Poison Ivy and Wild Parsnip *John Rowen, New York State Department of Transportation Poison ivy and wild parsnip are noxious plants that can pose severe health risks to transportation workers, travelers and people on property adjoining transportation rights of way. This presentation, Using Integrated Vegetation Management in the Control of Poison Ivy and Wild Parsnip, will open with information on how to identify poison ivy and wild parsnip and a definition of IVM. It will then take this building block information and show how IVM offers a framework for making good Department of Environmental Conservationisions about control.
Panel - Facing Climate Change
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm Room: Algonquin
1:30pm - 3:00pm	State Transportation Agencies Facing Climate Change – Highlights of the Northeastern State FHWA Climate Change Resilience Pilot Projects *Becky Lupes, Federal Highway Administration (Facilitator/Moderator); *David Elder, Connecticut Department of Transportation; *Charles Hebson, Maine Department of Transportation; *Steven J. Miller, Massachusetts Department of Transportation; *Michelle Brown, The Nature Conservancy – Adirondack Chapter; *Debra Nelson, New York State Department of Transportation In 2013, FHWA partnered with State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to pilot approaches to conduct climate change and extreme weather vulnerability assessments of transportation infrastructure and to analyze options for adapting and improving resiliency. Four northeastern states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York) were awarded and completed FHWA climate change pilot projects (2013-2015). Staff from Connecticut DOT, Maine DOT, New York State DOT, and Massachusetts DOT will serve on a panel to present and foster discussion on the results, lessons learned and future implementation of the northeastern state pilot projects. Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) conducted a systems-level vulnerability assessment of bridge and culvert structures from inland flooding associated with extreme rainfall events. The assessment included data collection and field review, hydrologic and hydraulic evaluation, criticality assessment and hydraulic design criteria evaluation. Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) The MaineDOT team identified transportation assets that are vulnerable to flooding from sea level rise and storm surge in six coastal towns. The team developed depth-damage functions and adaptation design options at three of the sites and evaluated the costs and benefits of the alternative design structures. Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) The MassDOT team sought to better understand the vulnerability of the I-93 Central Artery/Tunnel system (CA/T) in Boston to sea level rise and extreme storm events. The team combined a state-of-the-art hydrodynamic flood model with agency-driven knowledge and priorities to assess vulnerabilities and develop adaptation strategies. New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) The NYSDOT team assessed the vulnerability of the transportation system to increased temperature, precipitation and frequency of extreme storms in the rural Lake Champlain Basin. The team developed a benefits valuation approach to help Department of Environmental Conservationision makers prioritize infrastructure and assess when to undertake culvert replacements considering social, economic, and environmental factors. They evaluated vulnerability, criticality and risk, and developed a method to apply an environmental benefits multiplier to each culvert.
Panel - Partnerships for Passages
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm Room: Iroquois
1:30pm - 3:00pm	Forming a Public/private Process to Evaluate Wildlife Passage Needs in Maine- Creating a Systematic Approach to Passage Prioritizaiton and Measurement *Richard Bostwick, Maine Deparment of Transportation; *Amanda Shearin Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; *Barbara Charry, Maine Audubon A panel discussion on a multi-agency cooperative review of wildlife passage identification and planning along Maine highways. Three groups will bring expertise to the table to review transportation corridor segments with the goal of providing safer wildlife passage. Maine IFW: Aspects from a Strategic Wildlife Plan to prioritize species, existing known occurrence data, habitat block connector models, and habitat review Maine Audubon: Data from citizen science efforts to record Road Watch occurrences. Surveys of road segments and selected drainage structures for passage feasibility and Structure monitoring. MaineDOT: Highway corridor prioritizations, large animal crash data, engineering design expertise and design coordination, feasibility and practicality review, surveys of drainage structures, and camera data from known wildlife passage structures. Information provided by these agencies will be used to review transportation projects, adjacent habitat, species use and engineer constraints to determine passage feasibility and implementation. This partnering may identify situations where passage needs are beyond the scope of the project but were other funding sources may come into play to include a strategy as part of the project.
Panel - Programmatic Consultation for Bats
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm Room: Wright
8:30am - 10:00am	Implementing a Rangewide Programmatic: The Indiana Bat and Northern Long-Eared Bat Programmatic Consultation in Practice *Brian Yanchik, Federal Highway Administration; *Dan Buford, Federal Highway Administration; *Robyn Niver, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; *Julianne Schwarzer, United States Department of Transportation Volpe Center; *Eric Ham, Maine Department of Transportation; *Glen Ginras, Vermont Agency of Transportation; *Tim Dexter, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Through the Indiana Bat and Northern Long-Eared Bat Range-wide Consultation and Conservation Strategy under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have standardized their approach to assessing impacts to Indiana bats and northern long-eared bats from transportation construction and expansion projects; then avoiding, minimizing and mitigating those impacts. This landscape-level conservation strategy developed by USFWS, FHWA, FRA and FTA encompasses the ranges of both bat species and provides transparency and predictability to transportation agencies through proactive planning. Information provided by this consultation and conservation strategy will allow these agencies to strategically avoid projects in high impact or high risk areas for the Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat. For projects that cannot avoid impacts, project proponents will have the information they need to design projects to minimize impacts, thus avoiding the need to revise projects later in their development. For large-scale projects or projects with greater impacts, priority conservation areas will be identified to offset and minimize the impacts of the take. In April 2015, the agencies released their informal programmatic consultation. States have started to use this approach, and the formal component will be finalized by April 15, 2016. Use of the informal has already increased the consistency of both project design and review, reduced consultation process timeframes, reduced delays, and contributed meaningfully to conservation of both species. This panel will bring together members of the inter-agency team that developed the programmatic consultation along with practitioners from FWS, FHWA Divisions and State DOTs who have used the programmatic. Team members will speak to the process of developing the programmatic consultation and to some of the technical details. Practitioners will speak to the experience of implementing the programmatic consultation and will comment on the successes and challenges they have experienced to date. Following the brief presentations, the session moderator will facilitate a dialogue among the panelists, and between the panelists and the audience. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions as well as offer their own experiences with this and other programmatic consultations.
When Water Flows Through It: managing and monitoring dynamic crossings
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm Room: Algonquin
3:30pm - 3:50pm	Identifying Culvert Replacement Priorities for Maintaining Connectivity of Cold Water Fish Habitat in the Face of Climate Change *Scott Jackson, University of Massachusetts Amherst; *Kevin McGarigal, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Brad Compton, University of Massachusetts Amherst The Critical Linkages project is an application of the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS), a computer model that incorporates biophysical and anthropogenic data to compute an index of ecological integrity (IEI). Because CAPS provides a quantitative assessment for IEI as well as each metric used in ecological integrity models it can be used for comparing management scenarios. Scenario analysis involves running CAPS separately for each scenario, and comparing results to determine the loss (or gain) in IEI or specific metric units. We used the scenario testing capabilities of CAPS to assess changes in the aquatic connectedness metric for culvert/bridge replacement projects in 13 states in the northeastern United States. We then used the Critical Linkages methodology to address connectivity specifically for cold-water fish habitat. In addition to assessing the potential for restoring connectivity for cold-water streams under current conditions, we evaluated how dam removal and culvert replacement priorities change when taking into account the impacts of climate change on stream temperatures. The results can inform efforts by resource managers to create and implement climate change adaptation plans for cold-water streams and fisheries.
3:50pm - 4:10pm	Monitoring Mammal Movement Through Terrestrial and Aquatic Passageways in Antigonish, Nova Scotia using Remote Camera Sensing *Stephanie N. White, Acadia University, Biology Department, Wolfville, Nova Scotia; G. Randy Milton, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Kentville, Nova Scotia; Trevor Avery, Acadia University, Biology Department, Wolfville, Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is gradually expanding its major 100-series highways in response to safety concerns. Highway twinning along a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway intersects with an ecologically sensitive watershed, disconnecting wildlife movement in the area. To mitigate highway impact, wildlife terrestrial and aquatic passageways were installed along with 4 km of fencing and four one-way control gates. Passageways are >80 m long, and the terrestrial passageway has a central atrium. These passages are the first to be studied in Nova Scotia, as well as the only to integrate both fencing and an atrium into the design. The highway is set to open late fall 2016, providing an opportunity to study wildlife movements before construction, during construction, and after installation. The scope of this 4-year project covers movement of fish, amphibians, turtles, and mammals. Animals are captured by trapping and surveying, and tracked using Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagging (fish and amphibians), and remote camera sensing (mammals). This presentation will focus on remote camera sensing. Currently, 34 cameras are operating year-round with a focus on medium-sized mammals (e.g. smaller than deer). The main response is mammal activity levels because individuals are not identifiable. Quantifying activity through images will be used to identify drivers of wildlife movement within the passageways. Factors under consideration include fencing, light intensity, moon phase, temperature, and weather conditions. Select factors are manipulated to identify which may have a greater effect, including altering light levels by covering the atrium for extended periods in concert with moon phases. Preliminary results will be presented. Findings will be used as a baseline for future passageway design in Nova Scotia.
4:10pm - 4:40pm	Long Term Construction and Maintenance Cost Comparison for Road Stream Crossings: Traditional Hydraulic Design vs. Aquatic Organism Passage Design *Edward Samanns, CE, PWS, Senior Program Manager, The Louis Berger Group, Inc.; Gianfilippo Cameli, Sr. Financial Analyst, The Louis Berger Group, Inc. The design and installation of road stream crossings to accommodate fish and aquatic organism passage is increasingly becoming a priority for state and federal regulatory agencies throughout the United States to meet the mandates of the Clean Water Act, and in the case with federally protected migratory species, compliance with the Endangered Species Act. While progress has been made in providing fish passage at dams on many river systems, road crossings are much more numerous than dams and may have a greater impact on passage than dams as supported by road crossing inventories conducted to assess aquatic passage in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, regional experiences with extreme weather events and other climate change concerns are driving discussions on the overall life-cycle costs of structures and the need for more information to support sound infrastructure investment Department of Environmental Conservationisions. The higher costs of installing effective aquatic organism passage structures are often a concern for designers and transportation agencies. While it is clear that the upfront costs of larger structures may increase with effective aquatic organism passage designs, there may be long term savings by reducing the risk of culvert and road failure, reducing the need for periodic maintenance, increasing the life span of the structure, and reducing the cost of mitigation for open water and wetland impacts. Through NCHRP25-25 Task 93, our research and data analysis sought to address the following objectives: Quantify the long-term costs of road stream crossings that span the bankfull width of a waterway (aquatic organism passage design) in order to provide an accurate picture of the total life-cycle cost of the structure Compare costs of aquatic organism passage design-based structures to the costs of traditional hydraulic design structures and determine if there is a cost-benefit for the use of larger structures, taking into consideration ecosystem and social benefits. A cost-benefit model was developed to complete an analysis of the net benefits of using an AOP culvert design versus a traditional hydraulic design culvert. Unlike prior cost-benefit analyses which used estimated installation costs for AOP culverts (Christiansen, 2014), the Cost-Benefit model is uses actual cost data within the project database of 74 project examples from across the northern US (Maine to Washington State), and supplemented with values derived from relevant literature or engineers estimates. The model also draws in estimations of social, environmental and economic benefits of AOP designs from literature and other sources to provide a robust cost-benefit assessment. The final analysis provides conclusions that will be useful for funding Department of Environmental Conservationision for state and local agencies responsible for roadway and infrastructure improvements and maintenance.
4:40pm - 5:00pm	Massachusetts Department of Transportation Stream Crossing Handbook *Tim Dexter, Massachusetts Department of Transportation; *David C. Nyman, P.E., Comprehensive Environmental Inc. Massachusetts Department of Transportation will introduce its newly updated Stream Crossing Handbook in this presentation. This handbook revises and improves the Department's previous handbook on Design of Bridges and Culverts for Wildlife Passage at Freshwater Streams, issued in 2010. The updated handbook is designed to assist project planners and designers in addressing wildlife passage and complying with current regulatory standards in the design and construction of new and replacement culverts and bridges. Since Massachusetts Department of Transportation initially developed its guidance, both federal and state environmental regulations governing the design of stream crossing structures have been revised. In addition, Massachusetts Department of Transportation practices for the design and installation of stream crossings have evolved. To address these changes, Massachusetts Department of Transportation is updating the handbook to incorporate current regulatory requirements, introduce new reference materials for the design of stream crossing structures to accommodate wildlife passage, and provide guidance for designers and municipal personnel in complying with Massachusetts Department of Transportation standards. The presentation will highlight two important new additions to the handbook to help municipalities develop designs for local projects: Massachusetts Department of Transportation is providing guidance on its review process that applies to bridge structures on public ways (under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 85-Section 35), to facilitate the review and approvals of projects implemented at the local level; and The handbook will include illustrative designs of selected prototypical structures, to help municipalities select and design structures that meet Massachusetts Department of Transportation standards while addressing regulatory requirements for wildlife passage. State and municipal roadway systems include numerous existing bridges and culverts that potentially impede aquatic and terrestrial wildlife movement along streams and their riparian corridors. Environmental and transportation professionals recognize the importance of designing new and replacement stream crossings to foster adequate wildlife passage and prevent adverse impacts to important ecological systems. At the same time, well-designed replacement structures can improve hydraulic capacity and climate resilience. The design of these structures can be challenging, given the many constraints associated with existing infrastructure. Key components of this handbook will focus on the design challenges posed by existing structures. At replacement structures, enhancing wildlife passage must consider potential impacts on downstream flood levels, upstream bed stability, historic resources, structural integrity, and a number of other factors. Acknowledging these constraints of the built environment, the handbook will offer a range of design approaches for improving wildlife accommodation during reconstruction of existing stream crossings. However, the major focus of the handbook will be on providing, to the maximum extent practicable, roadway stream crossings that incorporate stream simulation design techniques and provide for improved habitat connectivity along the stream corridor.
Where the Wild Things Are: what features are being used by whom and when?
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm Room: Iroquois
3:30pm - 3:50pm	Under-road Wildlife Movement Through Culverts and Bridges in Vermont: Influences of Structure and Site Characteristics *Paul Marangelo, The Nature Conservancy - Vermont Chapter; Laura Farrell; Jens Hilke, Vermont Department of FIsh and Wildlife; James Brady, Vermont Agency of Transportation; Melissa Gaydos, National Wildlife Federation; Allan Thompson State transportation and natural resource agencies in Vermont and non-profit partners of the Staying Connected Initiative have a high level of interest in managing road corridors to minimize wildlife road mortality and to make road corridors more permeable for cross-corridor movement of wildlife. Towards this end, wildlife passage frequency through culverts and bridges designed for fluvial conveyance was assessed to clarify relationships between structural dimensions and frequency of wildlife use of transportation structures. Eighty four game cameras were set up at 23 culverts/bridge sites on State, US, and Interstate highways in Vermont to record wildlife/transportation structure interactions. We selected bridges and culverts that were most likely to be used by non-rodent terrestrial mammals by screening all potential sites with a number of general criteria: 1) location within road corridor segments identified as important for regional habitat connectivity by connectivity modeling ; 2) close proximity to large habitat blocks on both sides of a road corridor; 4) at least one seasonally dry “movement surface” available through the structure; 3) no “fatal flaws” and apparent suitability for use by at least two moderate to high mobility Passage Assessment System “movement guilds” (Kintsch and Cramer, 2011). Study sites were broadly representative of the range of sizes and types of transportation structures used on road networks in the northeast that are larger than 3’ wide (large bridge spans, box culverts, arch culverts, and pipe culverts). At six of the 23 sites, we also collected data on wildlife presence in habitat near the monitored bridge/culvert. Through September 2015, 447 “passage events” through bridges/culverts of 14 species (excluding rodents, raccoon, woodchuck, and domestic pets) were recorded. While all our sites were used at least once by wildlife to move under roadways, there was a substantial amount of variation in the frequency of use among sites in our interim results, and some productive looking sites yielded a surprisingly low through-passage frequency. Results and analysis from all data collected through June 2016 (13,260 camera days across all sites) will be presented, including an analysis on the effects of structure dimensions and other potentially influential site characteristics. Results interpretation will be oriented towards generating guidance that can be used by road corridor managers to increase the suitability of culverts and bridges for use by wildlife to cross under roadways in Vermont, thereby Department of Environmental Conservationreasing wildlife road mortality and increasing road corridor permeability for wildlife movement.
3:50pm - 4:10pm	Assessing Wildlife Movement Potential Within the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority Jurisdiction *Jackie Scott, Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) is one of 36 Conservation Authorities in Ontario, Canada. The CLOCA jurisdiction is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, just east of Toronto, and the Authority manages a total of 24 watersheds encompassing an area of 638 km2. Its mandate is to establish and undertake programs to promote the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in partnership with local Municipalities and the Province. As part of this mandate, CLOCA has been working to develop a set of planning documents that address watershed health, including maintaining and improving habitat connectivity for wildlife. A key component of these watershed management plans has been the development of a Natural Heritage System, which includes a fully connected Wildlife Habitat Network comprised of core habitats and movement corridors. Currently, this product is used by planning staff to help them evaluate the impact of development projects on the environment and prioritize protection and restoration efforts. In 2015, a supplementary report was completed to further address wildlife habitat connectivity in the CLOCA jurisdiction. The ""Wildlife Corridor Protection & Enhancement Plan"" was developed to: document existing conditions; assess corridor connectivity; conduct a movement barrier analysis; identify key restoration opportunities; and provide a series of implementation tasks and priorities. Corridor connectivity was assessed using ArcGIS modeling. The end product is a set of maps that highlight where gaps and deficiencies exist within the current wildlife movement corridor system. This is a useful tool to help direct stewardship and restoration efforts within each of the watersheds and across the jurisdiction to improve overall wildlife habitat connectivity. Movement barriers were identified by first mapping the intersections between the Wildlife Habitat Network and the transportation network and then conducting site surveys to document any conditions that might affect wildlife, including culvert presence, type of culvert, culvert measurements, road information, traffic volume, evidence of road mortality/nesting, etc. This information was then analyzed and a Department of Environmental Conservationision matrix was developed that enabled staff to filter each road/rail crossing into one of 5 categories (Excellent to Very Poor) that described the potential for wildlife to successfully overcome that barrier. The result of the analysis is a set of maps that depicts each existing wildlife movement barrier as a colour. This enables planning staff to quickly interpret the barrier effect that might be occurring at each location and can be used to help prioritize mitigation or restoration efforts. Combined, the corridor connectivity and barrier assessment maps provide a more complete picture of how wildlife movement might be occurring in the CLOCA jurisdiction. It is expected that they will be used to: more effectively direct private land stewardship and restoration efforts; provide support to funding applications for restoration projects; trigger planning authorities to engage environmental agencies early in the planning process; provide guidance for future research projects and studies; and, enable transportation planners to predict potential culvert upgrades and budget accordingly.
4:10pm - 4:40pm	I-89 Wildlife Connectivity Study *Jed S. Merrow, McFarland Johnson; *James S. Andrews, VT Reptile and Amphibian Atlas The Green Mountains include some of the largest remaining unfragmented forest blocks in the northeastern U.S. Probably the largest fragmenting feature in this mountain range is the I-89/Winooski River corridor. Opportunities for wildlife to safely cross these fragmenting features are limited, and take the form of road or railroad bridges, stream culverts, and perhaps other structures that were not designed or located with wildlife in mind. There is interest in improving the connectivity of this habitat, but the value of existing habitats and optimal crossing locations have not previously been studied. This study was undertaken to determine whether the habitat in the vicinity is rich in wildlife; whether existing culverts and bridges facilitate wildlife movement; whether the road corridor is a fragmenting feature for wildlife habitat and movement, and if there an edge effect zone; and whether improvement of transportation infrastructure could result in greater wildlife movement. The approach focused on medium- to large-sized, wide-ranging mammals. The principal means of collecting information on these species and answering the study questions included 40 wildlife cameras and winter tracking for two consecutive years. Wildlife cameras were placed at the larger existing culverts, the single river bridge, along transects perpendicular to the roads, and in more remote locations. Winter tracking was undertaken at least twice each winter along transects, I-89, and a local road. Results showed that a broad range of medium and large mammals occur throughout the corridor, both sides, near and far from the roads. In terms of an edge effect, transect tracking showed fewer animals very close to the road, while cameras showed the numbers of animals increase further from the road, except for deer. Animals cross the roads, both on the surface and through culverts. Wildlife crossed the smaller local road in much higher numbers than they crossed I-89, and the transects also showed higher wildlife movement. This shows the degree to which animals avoid crossing the interstate. Based on winter tracking, the large majority of mammals that crossed the highway crossed over the highway surface rather than through culverts or under bridges. The Little River bridge is being used by wildlife, particularly a constructed shelf on the west side, but its use may be limited by the relatively small amount of terrestrial habitat south of the bridge. Two bridges over roads see much less wildlife activity. Culverts see limited use by small to medium mammals. Key wildlife crossing locations or hotspots, based on tracking, camera results, adjacent habitat, and other mapping and analysis, were identified to determine where potential wildlife crossing improvements would be most effective.
4:40pm - 5:00pm	Identifying Wildlife Corridors and Passages Under Highway 10, in the Appalachians of Southern Quebec, Canada *Caroline Daguet, Biologist, Appalachian Corridor; Clément Robidoux, Biologist & Conservation Coordinator, Appalachian Corridor; Louise Gratton, Scientific Advisor, Appalachian Corridor; Yves Poulin, Coordonnateur en environnement, Direction de l’Estrie, Service des inventaires et du Plan, Ministère des Transports; Éric Jaccard, Responsable régional de la gestion de la faune terrestre, Direction de la gestion de la faune Estrie-Montréal-Montérégie-Laval, Secteur des opérations régionales, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec The territory of action of Appalachian Corridor, a conservation non-profit organization working to protect natural habitats on private land in the Appalachians of Southern Quebec, is split in half by Highway 10, a busy link between the cities of Montreal to the west and Sherbrooke to the east. Highway 10 creates significant fragmentation in this landscape, which belongs to the Northern Green Mountains Natural Area, i.e. the extension of the Green Mountains of Vermont north of the border. Highway 10 represents a major barrier to wildlife movements between Mount-Orford Provincial Park to the northeast and the Sutton Mountain Range to the southwest. Appalachian Corridor initiated a partnership with the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec’s Ministry of Transport, Sustainable Mobility & Electrification of Transports, Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment & Fight against Climate Change, and Ministry of Forests, Wildlife & Parks to identify wildlife corridors either side of Highway 10, and recommend adaptations to current infrastructures or creation of new structures in order to improve wildlife passages. The aim is to improve road safety and habitat connectivity, facilitate wildlife movements, and take into account climate change and its potential impacts on watercourses and wildlife. The first phase of this project, completed in 2014, involved the joint writing of a protocol to identify wildlife corridors and crossings over the project area. The second phase, completed in 2016, involved data acquisition and analysis by all partners: Appalachian Corridor ran landscape-scale core and corridor analyses and proceeded with ground-truthing two corridors as well as several highway infrastructures; The Ministry of Wildlife identified White-tailed Deer and Moose winter yards by helicopter flights over Highway 10; The Ministry of Transport had its patrollers trained by Appalachian Corridor and the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife & Parks to identify more wildlife species and provide more accurate records of road kills over a two-year pilot project; The University of Sherbrooke provided the compiled analysis of all collected data to identify key sections of Highway 10 where wildlife detection and tracking should take place. Phase 3 is currently underway with an additional partner, since Concordia University joined the partnership in 2016 to implement wildlife detection, tracking and resulting data analysis until 2018, so as to come up with recommendations on adaptation for specific infrastructures in key sections of Highway 10, based on scientific data and following a protocol approved by all partners right from the start. This partnership and its concerted actions should lead to significant road safety and habitat connectivity improvements to key sections of Highway 10 by 2020, to the benefit of both road users and wildlife in the Appalachians of southern Quebec.
Catch the Buzz: rapid fire lightning talks and posters
Date: Monday, September 12 Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm Room: Wright
#1	Rte 21 Recurrent Problem Spots – Advance Environmental Planning, a Low Tech Tool to Speed Transportation Maintenance During Storm Response *MaryEllen Papin, New York State Department of Transportation Several miles of Route 21 in the Woodville area, in Ontario and Yates Counties, experience damage during storm events. The damage is amplified by the local topography and geology, steep shale hills immediately uphill of Rte 21 which flatten out right at the highway. During storms and with normal run off, there is recurring build up of shale and debris in roadside ditches and in many culverts. This requires repeated removal of accumulated material to keep culverts clear and the drainage system functioning. It is not unusual for culverts to plug during storm events causing water and debris to flow over the road. In the past this has resulted in road closures, highway/culvert damage and rerouted water/debris flow through private property. During storm responses New York State Department of Transportation maintenance forces must address immediate issues: reopening the highway and removing accumulated material right at the inlets and outlets to get flow reestablished. Complicating our response though are the following: Some channels carry regulated streams Many of the outlets are located in regulated wetland areas Some outlets are located in a State Wildlife Management Area, and Some are in areas near potential threatened/endangered species issues. Due to these factors it often takes some time to get the environmental portion of our response coordinated with multiple regulatory agencies. This is a critical time window during which DOT must accomplish as much storm response progress as possible while avoiding violating environmental regulations or exacerbating stream or other environmental damage. To address these concerns a reference manual (Culvert Playbook) is being prepared for a priority portion of the Rte 21 Woodville area. The Culvert Playbook, which will be used by Residency field staff, contains a laminated summary sheet for each culvert that can be used to quickly determine what response or maintenance work can be done without permits and what information/permits will be needed for any further necessary work. Each summary includes a map with environmental information, and culvert and channel photos. The summary sheets allow access to needed information in a format that is reliably and immediately accessible in the field. Supervisors will have access to the information in the middle of the night, on weekends, before additional support staff is available, and without requiring GIS/computer/phone access which is often not available to field operations staff. Anticipated Benefits: More efficient and quicker post storm response and regular maintenance at the identified recurring problem spots Better environmental compliance/stewardship during difficult situations Less staff time spent on compiling information/permitting for both storm events and regular maintenance in this area in the future Possible cost savings (due to more efficient response) A better result for local residents and the traveling public.
#2	'No Sport for the Short Winded;' a Grassroots Wildlife Crossing Success Story *Chris Slesar, Monkton Conservation Commission Stuart Udall's quote, "conservation is no sport for the short winded" resonates loud and clear with the grassroots volunteer partners that have worked for over a Department of Environmental Conservationade to construct two amphibian tunnels in Monkton, Vermont. In the late-summer and early fall of 2015 the two tunnels were installed. The spring of 2016 has been the first year of post-construction monitoring, and preliminary results are extremely encouraging. This presentation will be a case study of a successful infrastructure mitigation project at regionally significant amphibian population in Addison County, Vermont, This population has been monitored for nearly 20 years, during the spring migration across the increasingly busy Monkton-Vergennes Road, which is a town owned and maintained roadway. Biologists feared that this population could not sustain itself without an infrastructure intervention. Fifty-percent, sometimes more, of the animals migrating across this roadway were being run over by vehicles during their migration - and this is with the assistance of volunteers moving them out of traffic. This presentation will chronicle the process of identifying the problem and devising and implementing a solution from a grassroots perspective. This process took a committed group of volunteers over 10 years to complete. Therefore, this presentation will outline lessons learned and challenges overcome during that period. It will share fundraising strategies that worked for us; political hurdles that needed to be overcome; and some of the things that we should have done differently. This presentation will also share design details. The goal of this presentation is to empower other communities with some of the tools and tricks that we learned, in the hopes that similar efforts can build off of , and expand on, our success. Ultimately the success of this project relied on a team of dedicated volunteers that committed to this project for the long-haul. The project relied on building a strong and diverse public and private partnership, that took this project from the fringe to the mainstream. The presentation will highlight the roles and extreme value of the stakeholders/partners involved.
#3	A Modern Day Protocol to Assess Tidal Crossings *Pete Steckler, The Nature Conservancy, NH Chapter Over the past year, a group of partners in New Hampshire started the process of developing a tidal crossing assessment protocol to identify and prioritize for replacement road crossings that are tidal restrictions, barriers to aquatic organism passage and saltmarsh migration, and that are at risk from storm events and sea level rise. This presentation will provide an overview of the protocol and the scoring criteria developed for prioritization.
#4	State Wildlife Action Plans and Transportation-related Wildlife Projects *Dee Blanton, US Fish and Wildlife Service State Wildlife Action Plans look at the broad array of wildlife in a particular state and use criteria to identify ""Species of Greatest Conservation Need."" The Plans identify threats to these species and their habitats, conservation actions to address threats, and ways to measure the effectiveness of the actions. Many of the 2015 State Wildlife Action Plans identify transportation infrastructure as a threat to wildlife and habitat, and describe actions to Department of Environmental Conservationrease the negative impacts of roads. This presentation will provide examples from State Wildlife Action Plans and some resulting transportation projects in the Northeast.
#5	Wetland Banking in the Adirondack Park *Ed Frantz, New York State Department of Transportation Wetland Banking has had limited success in the Northeast for several reasons, and know the In-Lie Fee Program is believed to be a better option. So why is New York State Department of Transportation still working on a Adirondack Park Wetland Banking agreement for the Park? This talk will discuss both of these option and what is and isn't working. In addition, why Wetland Banking is still a great option in the Adirondack Park and what challenges we are facing with getting approval. New York State Department of Transportation's effort on Wetland Banking in the Adirondack Park started shortly after learning of a Wetland Banking approach Maine DOT was proposing at the NETWC Conference in Amherst Massachusetts. This alone speaks to one of the greatest values NETWC provides to attendees, and the need to share information between states. This talk will further the information sharing gained at NETWC and may help other DOT's with their wetland mitigation efforts.
#6	Massachusetts’s Unique Approach for Road-stream Crossing Replacement *Kristen H. Ferry, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration; Timothy Chorey, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration Massachusetts has over 30,000 road-stream crossings, primarily located on public roads owned or maintained by towns. Nearly half of the ~6000 road-stream crossings in MA that have been assessed for aquatic organism passability pose barriers to fish and wildlife. Additionally, many of these undersized and aging structures were not designed to handle the increased frequency and intensity of contemporary storm flows. Flooding, culvert failure, and road washouts from storms such as Hurricane Irene in 2011 have increased public awareness of problem culverts, but despite this heightened awareness, few road-stream crossing replacement projects meeting required upgraded MA design standards have been completed. In response, the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration formalized its Stream Continuity Program in 2014 to help towns build capacity for culvert replacements. The Program’s first objective was the completion of a formal needs assessment to understand and quantify obstacles that municipal infrastructure managers face when replacing culverts. From the study we learned the most efficient approach to increasing culvert replacements that meet improved design standards for aquatic organism passage and storm hazard reduction was to develop a program focused on reducing the barriers municipalities face when implementing culvert replacements. The Program works closely with local Public Works Departments to provide assistance with culvert replacements and helps municipalities prioritize culvert replacement projects based on community and ecological benefits.
Workshop - Emergency Stream Intervention Training
Date: Tuesday, September 13 Time: 8:00am - 12:00pm Room: Algonquin
8:00am - 12:00pm	Emergency Stream Intervention Training Facilitator/Organizer: *Carl Kochersberger, Environmental Specialist, New York State Department of Transportation Trainers: *Dave Reckahn, CPESC, District Manager, Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District; *Jim Liebrum, CPESC, District Manager, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District With flooding events increasing in regularity and Transportation Agencies taking a prominent role in flood response, it is imperative that employees who are involved in flood response activities receive the proper training. This is particularly true concerning work in streams. The number of locations where streams cross and/or run along the transportation network in Northeastern States is immense. If post flood stream work is done improperly, it can further jeopardize transportation infrastructure, as well as property and public safety both upstream and downstream. To ensure that adequate training can be readily provided, NYSDepartment of Environmental Conservation partnered with the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District to develop a training program and manual to help municipal officials, contractors and machine operators respond to flood damage. The training is based on sound stream science and processes. Following the guidelines and recommended procedures will eliminate the need for communities to go back and repair mistakes, saving time, money and resources. This training is now provided across NYS by various Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The training at this workshop will be provided by the Essex County SWCD. There will be an AM classroom session, and a field trip out to a stream site in the afternoon (wading not required, streamside attire and insect repellent recommended).
Staying Connected Initiative's Camera Summit
Date: Tuesday, September 13 Time: 8:30am - 12:00pm Room: Iroquois
8:30am - 10:00am	Staying Connected Initiative's Camera Summit *Jens Hilke, VT Fish & Wildlife; *James Brady, Vermont Agency of Transportation; *Jessica Levine, The Staying Connected Initiative In every state involved in Staying Connected and across the NETWC region, camera traps are currently being used to study the interaction of roads and wildlife. Significant structural connectivity GIS modeling has been done in each of these landscape linkages but functional monitoring is still just beginning. Projects in the region range in focus and scale as well as in methodologies used but best practices are beginning to emerge in functional connectivity monitoring. Given the diversity of projects across the region; ranging from those monitoring just a few structures in a particular location to more expansive and systematic, public private partnerships involving multiple sites and roadside and forest-block tracking transects, we seek to facilitate a region wide review of these practices and engage participants in the discussion of how to continue this work. In this session, participants will catalog and explain methodologies they are employing and engage others in the discussion of what activities or suite of methodologies might be best in functional connectivity monitoring. The summit would include: the current status of functional connectivity monitoring methodologies across the region, lessons learned, and discussion of best practices for monitoring functional connectivity using a variety of methodologies including camera work and transect tracking. The workshop would involve several phases including, presentations on current methodologies, review and prioritization of best practices and exploration of next steps in implementing these ideas in this quickly changing field.
Feel the Spark: series of lightning talks and posters
Date: Tuesday, September 13 Time: 8:30am - 10:00am Room: Wright
#1	Natural Resource Navigator: Charting a Smart Future for a Changing Climate *Kristin France, The Nature Conservancy; Rebecca Shirer, The Nature Conservancy; David Richardson, The Nature Conservancy; Stevie Adams, The Nature Conservancy; Chris Zimmerman, The Nature Conservancy; Ellen Weiss, The Nature Conservancy Our changing climate has wide ranging impacts in New York: increased risk of droughts leading to Department of Environmental Conservationlines in water quality and quantity; increased intensity and frequency of storms and sea level rise resulting in flooding and coastal habitat loss; increased stress on forest ecosystems; and Department of Environmental Conservationlines and range shifts of vulnerable species. The Nature Conservancy developed the Natural Resource Navigator (the Navigator), an online, interactive mapping tool, to help natural resource managers integrate climate change into their Department of Environmental Conservationision making. Although anyone can use the Navigator, it will be especially helpful for users– public agencies, municipal planners, floodplain and forest managers, land trusts, watershed groups, and other not-for-profit organizations – looking to develop site-specific climate adaptation strategies for a particular area or target. Users are able to access the latest spatial data and analyses to make informed Department of Environmental Conservationisions about forest and stream management in light of climate change. With a focus on climate change resiliency, the Navigator’s interactive maps and comprehensive database (hundreds of datasets) help identify what places to protect, what areas need restoration, where to focus on connecting habitats and where it is necessary to eliminate threats such as invasive species. The Navigator contains several novel datasets relevant to transportation and wildlife planning, including projected future land use and its impacts on current and future forest connectivity, current and future habitat for hundreds of species (terrestrial and freshwater) as well as spatially explicit climate vulnerability for 50 species, and recommendations for the most important lands and waters to maintain and restore in light of climate change. The Navigator also integrates numerous datasets relevant to natural resources and current and future flooding, and offers a Department of Environmental Conservationision support module for utilizing them to develop strategies. While the underlying data for the tool focuses on NY, the framework could be adapted for other locations. During the presentation, we will aim to acquaint attendees with the purposes of the tool, show its main components, provide a quick snapshot of the available data, and offer example applications pertinent to transportation and wildlife issues. The tool will also be available for demonstration at a table during the conference, and we hope the lightning talk will spur attendees to find out more by coming to the table or talking with the presenters. In addition to connecting with potential users at this conference, we hope to receive ideas for additional resources and datasets that could be incorporated into the mapping tool, guidebook, and tactics toolbox.
#2	Monitoring Effectiveness of Reptile Tunnels and Exclusion Fencing on Highway 69, Ontario, Canada *Kari E. Gunson, Eco-Kare International; Andrew Healy, Ontario Ministry of Transportation; Terri Rogers, Ontario Ministry of Transportation This presentation documents the results of monitoring road mitigation measures (three 2.8 m high by 3.3 m wide concrete box tunnels with associated reptile exclusion fencing) for turtles, primarily Blanding’s Turtle on a new highway alignment on Highway 69 as part of a larger highway expansion project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Monitoring consisted of a daily walking transect between 15-May and 15-July 2015 along two 3 km sections of highway, one mitigated (Sheppard Lake) and one not mitigated (Clear Lake). Both transects bisected similar adjacent wetland habitat and were approximately 40 km apart. Monitoring also consisted of camera monitoring between 06-Jun-15 and 01-Oct-15 for turtle use of the three reptile tunnels. In order to ensure full functionality of the reptile fencing an assessment and maintenance phase was completed in early May, 2015. Reptile fence maintenance occurred at and between four drainage systems (culverts), and three reptile tunnels, along the new highway alignment and at on isolated drainage system 1.4 km north of the new alignment. Maintenance required adding fence materials to increase fence height above high water levels at culverts, repairing fence damaged from changes in hydrology, reattaching fence to large animal wire mesh fence, closing three one-way gates, and a 100 m fence extension at southern fence end. Two months of walking transects found six turtles along the Sheppard Lake transect (3 km) and 26 turtles along the Clear Lake transect (3 km). Ninety percent of all turtles found were dead on the road, and of those that could be identified 76% were female. Eighteen percent of all the turtles found were Blanding’s Turtles, and Painted and Snapping Turtles were found equally: 41% of the time. The improved continuous fencing (2 km) was deemed effective when compared to the fenced section that was surveyed as part of a research study in 2013. There were 3 turtles found along the continuous section of fencing in 2015 that were attributed to fence ends, as compared to 17 turtles found along the same transect during the same monitoring period in 2013. The sampling effort was similar, with the exception of one additional driving survey done in 2013. When comparing the two 3 km transects surveyed in 2015, the mitigated site, Sheppard Lake, had only 5 turtles found on the road as opposed to 26 turtles at the unmitigated Clear Lake transect. Collectively, both these comparisons in turtle counts in the before/after and control/impact scenarios show that the mitigation and tunnel system is effective to alleviate turtle road mortality. Monitoring cold-blooded reptiles with available camera technologies was challenging because the tunnels were located in wet sites. However, our methods captured 10 turtles (5 Snapping Turtle and 5 Painted Turtle) on both passive time lapse and active beam triggered cameras. Short-term recommendations are to extend the functionality of the reptile fence by extending the continuous section of fence approximately 450 m in each direction on both sides of the highway to join onto other potential crossing structures built for large animals.
#3	Non-Regulatory Project Updates from MassWildlife and Massachusetts Department of Transportation *Tim Dexter, Massachusetts Department of Transportation; David Paulson, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife collaborate on non-regulatory related transportation-ecology projects each year. This lightning talk will provide brief snapshots of a suite of non-regulatory projects and programs currently being implemented in Massachusetts. Examples include habitat management for rare species, wetlands restoration, bird nest boxes, and road ecology research.
#4	Amphibians Hit the Road: Assessing Roadway Mortality and Ecopassage Utilization Along a Two-lane Highway *Charlene Hopkins, Ohio University; SR Kuchta, Ohio University; WM Roosenburg, Ohio University As roadways reduce amphibian population sizes, disrupt connectivity, and degrade habitat mitigation measures are increasingly being implemented. Barriers and ecopassages are a common strategy used to mitigate roadway impacts. Barriers limit access to roadways and may direct animals toward ecopassages, which are corridors designed to conduct animals safely over or under the roadway. The effectiveness of these mitigation measures for small animals remains poorly studied. We quantified levels of roadway mortality, ecopassage use, and amphibian populations, to assess the effectiveness of a barrier-ecopassage system along a two-lane highway. We also conducted roadway crossing behavior, ecopassage use, and ecopassage style choice experiments. We will be presenting our findings thus far and directions for future research.
#6	Constructing Vernal Pools for Wetlands Mitigation: How Well Are We Doing? *Mary Beth Kolozsvary, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Siena College; Meredith A. Holgerson, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University Vernal pools are small, isolated, ephemeral wetlands that undergo cyclical periods of drying and inundation; they are an important ecological resource throughout northern and eastern North American and provide key habitat for several amphibian and invertebrate species. Vernal pools often lack legal protection and are subject to degradation and destruction. To mitigate the loss of these pools from the landscape, pool creation or restoration is becoming more common. Yet, vernal pools are among the most difficult wetland systems to create, particularly with respect to hydroperiod and long-term monitoring to assess the functioning of created pools is scare. Furthermore, studies rarely integrate multiple, interacting levels of the pool ecosystem, including physical, chemical, and biological parameters. To address this research need, we studied created pools at Stewart International Airport that were constructed as mitigation associated with construction of an East-West connector alignment to facilitate access to the airport. We compared the physical habitat, water chemistry, productivity, and community composition of macroinvertebrates and amphibians from seven-year old created pools (n = 7) to reference pools (n = 6). Created pools were smaller in size, received more sunlight, had greater amounts of Lemna, Typha, and Phragmites, and were less likely to dry. Created pools had higher pH and conductivity, but algal biomass did not differ. Macroinvertebrate richness was similar across pools, but composition starkly differed. Amphibian species richness and composition was similar between created and reference pools; however, created pools had fewer focal pool-breeding amphibians, including the spotted salamander and wood frog. Our results have several important implications for improving pool construction. By assessing the entire pool ecosystem, we found that although created vernal pools can provide habitat for a variety of species, the ability to mimic the physical and ecological functions of natural vernal pools is questionable.
Hot Topics: series of lightning talks and posters
Date: Tuesday, September 13 Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm Room: Wright
#1	The Northern Long-eared Bat Listing and State Departments of Transportation Bat Surveys *Darrell Oakley, VHB; Erika Reeves, VHB The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) as threatened in spring 2015. Since that time, some state transportation departments have conducted presence/absence bat surveys when tree clearing is required. These statewide bat surveys not only benefit the transportation activities that may not be able to perform winter clearing, but also add to the collective knowledge of state and federal wildlife agencies. As the northern long-eared bat populations Department of Environmental Conservationline continues, knowledge of where the populations occur will become crucial in better understanding where conservation measures are most effective. The bat surveys may also help transportation departments plan for future projects in knowing where northern long-eared bats no longer occur. Survey data will become especially helpful if the northern long-eared bat is listed as endangered in the future and the incidental take provisions in the Final 4d rule no longer apply. Some states, such as New York, have their own Endangered Species Act and regulations and are not consistent with the Final 4d rule. An acoustic survey is typically the most cost-effective method to perform a bat survey and is one method approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Full spectrum bat detectors are the state of the art in detecting bats. The US Fish and Wildlife Service approved software is good, but it is not perfect. The software can sift through mountains of acoustic data, remove extraneous noise, and classify bat calls by each software’s bat call library. Making a determination on federally endangered or threatened bat species stills requires specialized training and an experienced professional.
#2	Predicting Moose Crossing Hotspots in Western Maine Using Habitat Connectivity Models *Chuck Hulsey, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Devon Witherell, Maine Department of Transportation; Bob Cordes, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Amanda Shearin, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife There are approximately 500 moose-vehicle crashes in Maine each year, with many of these incidents occurring in the northern and western regions of the state. The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) work collaboratively to identify potential infrastructure and ecological contributors to collision hotspots. In 2011, MDIFW, MaineDOT, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Maine Audubon developed statewide spatially explicit models predicting likely road crossing locations for ten focal species, mainly herptiles and medium-sized mammals, representing a wide range of connectivity issues and habitat types. These models, known as the Beginning with Habitat Riparian and Large Habitat Block Connectors, have been used by MaineDOT, land trusts, municipalities, and other partners in Maine to identify potential opportunities for enhancing habitat connectivity. However, these models have not been field tested and it is unknown if they also can be used to predict road crossing locations for moose. Furthermore, it is likely that crossing locations for moose may change over time, particularly in response to local and regional land uses. For example, MDIFW surveys in western Maine indicate a shift in the locations and use intensity of roadside moose wallows between 2001 and 2015. Using data from MaineDOT’s collision database, we are assessing whether modeled Block Connectors and historic and current moose wallow information can be used to predict moose-vehicle crash locations in western Maine. Results of this effort can help inform transportation planning efforts to reduce animal-vehicle collisions in other regions of the state as well as identify opportunities for safely enhancing habitat connectivity for large mammals.
#3	A Multi-Stage Mussel Survey and Relocation Methodology Based on Threshold Densities of a Vermont State Listed Species *Jake Riley, Stantec Consulting Hurricane Irene scoured and undermined two pier footings, weakening the structural integrity of an active railroad bridge over the Winooski River in Montpelier, Vermont. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) proposed improvement work to the piers, including the placement of grout bags and rip-rap under and around the piers. In-water activities include pier buttressing and installing a temporary stone causeway to access the piers with equipment. The Winooski River is one of only two rivers in Vermont known to support the state threatened eastern pearlshell mussel (EP) (Margaritifera margaritifera). A previous mussel survey in Winooski River documented just over 100 eastern pearshell mussels in a 1,000 foot river reach directly downstream of the bridge. On behalf of VTrans, Stantec Consulting Services Inc applied for a Vermont State Threatened and Endangered Permit from the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to conduct an eastern pearlshell mussel survey and potential relocation prior to the proposed bridge improvements. In order to provide flexibility to the contractor to adjust to water level conditions and ongoing river access negotiations and confine the in-water work to certain areas, the limits of work and survey area was conservatively proposed. The exact locations of the two in-water impact areas won’t be determined until next summer after assessing river conditions. During informal consultation with biologists from ANR, a multi-stage survey method was agreed upon that includes certain thresholds requiring a qualitative survey, potential quantitative survey, and relocation with follow-up mark/recapture survival surveys, only if certain mussel densities are observed. This unique multi-stage survey method will simultaneously save time and money while minimizing impacts to a threatened species and allow for some access flexibility by the contractor. The survey is scheduled for June 2016 and the results and methodology will be presented.
#4	Reptile Fencing and Turtle-friendly Beaver Baffle Design, Testing and Monitoring *Julia McCann, Queen's University; Ryan Danby, Queen's University; Kari Gunson, Eco-Kare International Road mortality is a leading cause of decline for many reptile species and is well documented on Ontario’s Highways. Mitigation measures such as reptile fencing and wildlife crossing structures assist in reducing road mortality while providing connectivity between natural habitats bisected by roads. Existing drainage culverts may be an alternative for wildlife passage until other tunnels for wildlife passage can be built during highway improvement and rehabilitation projects. However, beavers often create dams and impede water flow in these culverts causing road flooding. Maintenance workers often obstruct culvert access from beavers on a case-by-case basis by fabricating or purchasing available metal appurtenances to attach to culvert ends. These may be effective at keeping beavers out, but also obstruct or altogether prevent passage by turtles. This talk will address the use of various exclusion devices in combination with wildlife fencing, and the monitoring of these devices. We conducted an exhaustive literature review to determine what beaver exclusion devices have been used elsewhere and whether any are currently suitable or could be retrofitted to allow turtle passage. This was supplemented with follow-up telephone and email contact with authors and other experts wherein a progression of questions was asked in order to address key themes, and information obtained was organized into tables under appropriate headings. Results show a general lack of literature on exclusion devices, especially those that accommodate turtles. Of the information retrieved, there was lack of studies on the effectiveness of these devices. Effectiveness was largely based on anecdotal information gained from secondary sources such as information collected during follow up conversations. Long-term monitoring is needed to assess these devices. A site on Ontario’s Highway #7, approximately one-hour northwest of Kingston was chosen as an optimal site to monitor wildlife road mortality, beaver activity, and to test exclusion devices. There are eight turtle species native to the test site, seven of which are species at risk. Beaver activity is high on the south culvert end, creating a barrier for turtle passage, which could contribute to turtle road mortality. A dam surrounding the culvert face with an exclusion screen to deter beaver activity is currently in place, and permanent Aminex fencing exists along 560 meters of the south side of the road, and 330 meters on the north side to prevent turtles from reaching the road. Two cameras are mounted on the south side of the road, one monitoring movement at a fence jump out and one monitoring usage of a drainage culvert with an exclusion screen modified with an opening to allow passage. Road surveys have been conducted since 2012 to contribute to site monitoring. Further research will be conducted in the 2016 field season, including removing the exclusion screen currently in place on the culvert on the north side of the road and testing other exclusion designs. This site serves as a pilot project for testing and refining appropriate strategies for mitigation and monitoring, which could be applied to other sites encountering similar issues.
#5	Update on Large Animal Use of Wildlife Passage Structures in Northern and Western Maine *Richard Bostwick, MaineDOT As MDOT plans to build another new highway bypass in Northern Maine, wildlife passage structures in the state are being monitoried for use by cameras, and the lessons learned are being applied to other projects. A proposed bypass east of Presque Isle Maine will result in a new control of access highway in an area where Canada lynx and moose have been documented. The landscape habitat around the bypass has been reviewed, and wildlife passage strategies are being developed using lesion learned on bypass structures installed in Caribou, about 20 km (12 miles) to the North.
#6	Whiteface Highway Rare Plant Monitoring and Transplant Project *Stephen M. Young, New York Natural Heritage Program The Whiteface Mountain Highway (just north of Lake Placid, NY) was reconstructed during the summers of 2014 and 2015 in order to improve drainage, level and repave the surface, and reconstruct walls and shoulders. The work took place in areas where three rare plants had been documented by the New York Natural Heritage Program, alpine goldenrod (Solidago leiocarpa) state threatened, bearberry willow (Salix uva-ursi) state threatened, and snowline wintergreen (Pyrola minor) state endangered and the only known site in the state. The goal of the project was to monitor the rare plants during the roadwork and to transplant to a safe place any plants affected by the construction. Steve Young, Chief Botanist for the NY Natural Heritage Program, coordinated the project with a team of dedicated volunteers who helped monitor and transplant the plants.
Panel - Pollinator Conservation
Date: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 8:30am - 10:00am Room: Algonquin
1:30pm - 3:00pm	Case studies of Integrative Vegetation Management for Pollinator Conservation in the Northeast *Sarah Piecuch, New York State Department of Transportation; *Richard Bostwick, Maine Department of Transportation; *David Paulson, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; *Glen Gingras, Vermont Agency of Transportation; *Deirdre Remley, Federal Highways Administration Pollinators such as honey bees, native bees, flies and butterflies have been Department of Environmental Conservationlining over last few Department of Environmental Conservationades. It is a broad scale Department of Environmental Conservationline, likely from compounding factors such as diseases, parasites, pesticide use and habitat loss. Since pollinators serve important economic and ecologic services for society, this Department of Environmental Conservationline is concerning. It has captured the attention of the Federal government and lead to the development of task forces to find solutions to reverse this Department of Environmental Conservationline (for more information see: June 2014 Presidential Memorandum—Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.) Country-wide federal agencies and agencies hat receive federal funding are assessing their operation and how they can help with the pollinator conservation. An iconic species to emerge from this effort is the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Monarchs have Department of Environmental Conservationlined 90% in the last 20 years and are being petitioned by environmental groups for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (Center for Biological Diversity 2015). The only host plant for Monarch caterpillars or larvae to feed and properly develop on is milkweed (Asclepias spp). Milkweed species are a critical plant for the conservation of the Monarch Butterfly and several milkweed dependent insect species. Unfortunately, milkweed plants are also Department of Environmental Conservationlining due to land use changes and increase use of genetically modified crops (Journal of Animal Ecology. 2014. D.T. Flockhart, et. al.). In response to the pollinator conservation discussion and rising importance of milkweed plants, Department of Transportations have started to examine vegetation management in the rights of way (ROW). Here in the Northeast several states are incorporating pollinator conservation into their roadside vegetation management. In this panel presentation we will provide an overview of the recently enacted federal laws and directives that will help DOTs manage assets for pollinators, as well as a brief overview of what kind of pollinator work is happening throughout the country. Several speakers will also share current work and future directions for roadside pollinator conservation efforts in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New York.
Panel - Collaboration for Road-stream Crossings
Date: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 8:30am - 10:00am Room: Iroquois
8:30am - 10:00am	Improving Road-stream Crossings Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration *Michelle Brown, The Nature Conservancy (facilitator); *Josh Thiel, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (co-facilitator); *Erin Rodgers, Trout Unlimited; *Jim Dougan, Essex County Department of Public Works; *Jessica Levine, The Nature Conservancy Canada; *Carl Schwartz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; *Roy Schiff, Milone & MacBroom); Todd Walter, Cornell University Road-stream crossings (i.e., culverts and bridges) are essential elements of transportation infrastructure that allow streams to pass underneath roads. Well-designed road-stream crossings can facilitate aquatic connectivity and organism passage as well as build community resilience through the mitigation of flood impacts. This panel session introduces participants to road-stream crossing projects that achieve multiple benefits (ecological, social, and economic) through innovative, and sometimes unexpected, partnerships. We propose to use a series of short presentations, facilitated panel discussion, and audience participation to introduce a framework for replacing and retrofitting culverts that focuses on prioritization, planning, design, funding, and implementation. A panel of six experts will offer a range of perspectives on how improved road-stream crossings can meet the transportation and ecological goals of many stakeholders. Specifically, our panel will discuss issues impacting culvert replacements, including: Climate resilience. In the face of changing precipitation patterns, right-sized culverts can build community resilience to flooding. Stream restoration and fish biology. Culverts can facilitate or impede habitat connectivity for fish and aquatic organisms. Engineering and design. Culvert design principles can maximize public safety and infrastructure protection, while improving habitat connectivity, maintaining water quality, and mitigating future flood risk. Regional planning. The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative is a regional partnership that developed a common culvert inventory protocol and database for aquatic organism passage and culvert condition. Project funding and management. A case study in the Catskills, NY highlights the use of regional tools to prioritize culvert inventory, identify funds for replacements, and implement projects. Local roads. Municipalities are responsible for the majority of culverts and often face unique challenges, including budgetary constraints and competing resource needs. The goal of this panel session is to demonstrate that we can strengthen freshwater habitats and reduce communities’ vulnerability to flooding though innovative partnerships with shared goals. Each panel member will formally introduce his or her topic for 5 – 10 minutes and the remainder of the session will encourage audience participation through a facilitated discussion. Michelle Brown, The Nature Conservancy (facilitator) – Michelle Brown is a Conservation Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter. She leads an initiative focused on aquatic connectivity, climate resilience, and infrastructure. Josh Thiel, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (facilitator) – Josh Thiel is a biologist with 15 years of experience working with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. He focuses primarily on stream habitat protection and other stream improvement initiatives, including addressing stream connectivity at road/stream crossings. Erin Rodgers, Trout Unlimited (panel) – Erin Rodgers, PhD, has worked with Trout Unlimited for five years coordinating road-stream crossing assessments throughout New England. She works with municipal, state, and federal agencies to replace undersized culverts with larger structures and restore the surrounding stream channel. Jim Dougan, Essex County Department of Public Works (panel) – Jim Dougan currently serves as an assistant civil engineer and Deputy Superintendent for the Essex County Department of Public works. He is a graduate of Clarkson University with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering and Management. He has over 25 years of project management, design and financing experience in all forms of building and civil / heavy highway construction. Jessica Levine, TNC Canada (panel) – Jessica Levine works for TNC Canada, an affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, as a Conservation Advisor on Climate Adaptation and Transportation and the Coordinator of the Staying Connected Initiative. Her work focuses on developing and implementing tools to sustain connected terrestrial and freshwater habitats, addressing conservation and community challenges posed by climate change. Carl Schwartz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (panel) – Carl has overseen the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in New York for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for nearly 30 years. The program has completed over 5,000 habitat restoration projects including wetlands, streams, uplands, invasive species and endangered species projects. Roy Schiff, Milone & MacBroom (panel) – Roy, PhD, is a Water Resource Scientist and Engineer with Milone & MacBroom, Inc. He received his PhD from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2005 and his M.S.Eng. from University of Washington in 1996. Roy is a licensed Professional Engineer in Vermont and frequently works on applied projects including flood protection, channel and floodplain restoration, crossing structures, bank stabilization, and river corridor assessment. Todd Walter, Cornell University (panel) – Todd Walter’s greatest achievement was surviving his own birth. Todd has been a faculty member in Cornell University’s Biological and Environmental Engineering department since 2005. He was appointed to the directorship of the NYS Water Resources Institute in summer 2015.
Workshop - Road Ecology Citizen Science
Date: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 8:30am - 10:00am Room: Wright
8:30am - 10:00am	How to Organize and Sustain Road Ecology Citizen Science *Chris Slesar, Citizen volunteer with Monkton Amphibian Crossing Project (facilitator); *Jim Andrews, VT Reptile & Amphibian Atlas; *Bridget Butler, Cold Hollow to Canada; *Jens Hilke, VT Fish & Wildlife Department This interactive workshop will effectively wrestle with the challenging questions in designing and sustaining road ecology citizen science projects. Participants will have an opportunity to peruse a variety of compelling multi-media case studies of successful citizen science efforts in VT including; Wild Paths (Cold Hollow to Canada), Salisbury Road Tracking, Putney Road Tracking & Monkton Rd Amphibian Crossing Project. Understanding of these case studies combined with the knowledge and experience of participants in the room will enable us to collaboratively address the following questions in a facilitated discussion by all participants; How do you train and sustain volunteer workforce over several field seasons? How do you organize routes and datasheets for lay people? How do you secure funding and sustain funding momentum? How do citizens report results (paper or online)? How are results compiled (both to sustain volunteers as well as final results)? How do you ensure citizen science methodology is credible enough that results can actually be used? How do you ensure safety of volunteers? Notes from the discussion of each question will be compiled and distributed to participants after the event as something of an informal “best practices” document in designing road ecology citizen science projects. This interactive session is perfect for anyone interested or involved in citizen science efforts and is sure to give you ideas on better enabling this work.
Helping Herps: new perspectives
Date: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm Room: Algonquin
10:30am - 10:50am	A Roadway Wildlife Crossing Structure Designed for State-threatened Wood Turtles in New Jersey, United States *Brian Zarate, New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, Endangered & Nongame Species Program Terrestrial wildlife in suburban landscapes regularly encounter barriers to movement within their home range. Local two-lane roads, one example of a movement barrier, may not themselves deter animals from crossing over them to the other side, but vehicles traveling along the roadway can kill or injure species attempting to traverse the obstacle. Designing and constructing crossing structures to facilitate safe movement of wildlife across barriers has increasingly become an important conservation topic. Through a state regulatory review process and subsequent coordination meetings, we assisted in the design of a wildlife crossing structure along a well-traveled municipal road in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. Underground tunnels and associated funnel fencing were constructed with consideration for a local population of state-threatened wood turtles, in addition to other documented herpetofauna. Wood turtles move from their home stream across the road to nest and forage. A diverse assemblage of frogs are driven to cross the road to seasonally breed in two man-made impoundments that are functioning as ephemeral and semi-permanent ponds. Five “turtle tunnels” with grated tops span the road along approximately 910 meters of transect. Angled, wooden fencing and tunnel headwalls along both sides of the road guide animals from habitat to one of the five tunnels. The away-from-road angle of the fencing is meant to allow animals an escape should they get onto the roadway. Bedminster Township funded the project in full at an approximate cost of $90,000 and completed construction over a staggered period of five months. The finalized structures and fencing opened in April 2015 and we are working with project partners on monitoring the effectiveness of the project at minimizing the number of small animals casualties along this section of road.
10:50am - 11:20am	Lessons Learned from 10 Years of Post Construction Monitoring of Constructed Vernal Pools for the Stewart Airport Interconnector Roadway *Justin Baker, Louis Berger Group, Inc.; Edward Samanns, Louis Berger Group, Inc.; *Dana Flynn, Louis Berger Group, Inc. The New York State Department of Transportation (New York State Department of Transportation) and the Louis Berger Group, Inc. developed and implemented a wetland and habitat mitigation plan for the Stewart International Airport Interconnector Project, a new 2-lane roadway located in the town of Montgomery, Orange County, New York. The purpose of the plan was to provide supplemental breeding habitat in the form of vernal pools for three New York State special concern species, the blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale) the Jefferson salamander (A. jeffersonianum), and the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata). Additional species are also intended to benefit from the creation of vernal pools including the spotted salamander (A. maculatum) and the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus). The vernal pool design plan placed major emphasis on site hydrology. Water budgets were developed for each proposed pool to determine the necessary design elements required to create naturally functioning vernal pools. Controlling influences such as pool watershed area, infiltration rates, and substratum composition addressed in the design. Groundwater was determined to be an unreliable source of hydrology and existing subsoil conditions were determined to be incapable of retaining water for durations needed by breeding amphibians. Therefore, each pool received a 10 to 15 cm clay liner to create a low permeability layer capable of supporting the required hydroperiod for the target species. Precipitation and runoff from upslope drainage areas are the principal sources of hydrologic input into the pools. The intended hydroperiod, based on the target species breeding biology, was designed to last between 5-6 months annually, from early March to mid-August. Construction of the 12 vernal pools, totaling 1.37 acres, was completed in Department of Environmental Conservationember of 2006. Pool size ranged from 0.07 to 0.33 acres. Monitoring began in 2007 and will be completed in the fall of 2016. Monitoring included the installation of data loggers to measure daily water levels in each pool and amphibian presence/absence surveys weekly during the peak breeding period of target species (March – April, and the second week in September through October). After 10 years of monitoring, the performance of the vernal pools and the association of obligate and target species with pool depth and hydrology will be presented, along with lessons learned regarding vernal pool design and function over time.
11:20am - 11:40am	Why We Need to Incorporate Animal Behavior into Road Ecology: A Case History with Aquatic Turtles *Tom A. Langen, Department of Biology, Clarkson University To avoid or mitigate the harmful effects of roads and road traffic on animals (habitat degradation, road mortality, barriers to movement), it is essential to understand the behavior of the animals affected by them. This requires answering three general questions: Under what contexts in time and space do animals encounter roads? How do they behave upon encountering the road corridor and when crossing the road surface? What do they do when encountering putative mitigation options such as roadside habitat management, wildlife barriers, or wildlife passage structures? Turtles are demographically sensitive to sources of increased adult mortality, such as road-kill, and there is a growing concern that turtle populations in heavily-roaded landscapes may be Department of Environmental Conservationlining due to barrier effects of roads and elevated mortality from road traffic. By synthesizing the results of my research on the behavior and population biology of turtles near roads in northeastern New York State, and reviewing the research of others who have studied the interactions of turtles and roads, I will propose answers to each of the three general questions and highlight where further research on the behavioral ecology of turtles and roads is most needed. Aquatic turtles primarily encounter roads when seeking nesting sites, and many turtles choose to nest alongside roads – roadsides provide warm, sparsely vegetated microhabitat that is similar to other sites selected for nesting. As a consequence, road mortality is skewed toward adult females. Nesting microclimate and soil conditions are radically different from other nesting sites, which likely has important effects on the viability of embryos, though this has received little attention. For terrestrial turtles, both sexes encounter roads when moving among habitat patches, and the barrier effects of roads may be as detrimental as road-kill. Predictive models of the locations and seasonal timing of turtle encounters with roads, developed using road-kill/road-crossing data, movement behavior of tracked animals, and habitat distribution within landscapes, are increasingly being applied to predict where mitigation may be most beneficial in a road network, and to pinpoint where to avoid locating new roads. Controlled behavioral experiments and field trials of barriers (fences and walls) and subterranean passages (culverts) indicate that these technologies can be effective at reducing mortality while maintaining habitat connectivity between the two sides of a road, but that careful post-installation monitoring and adaptive management are essential for the success of mitigation efforts.
11:40am - 12:00pm	Northern Copperhead on the Edge *Tom Tyning, Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA Various surveys of Agkistrodon contortrix (Northern Copperhead) populations at and near the very edge of the species range have been ongoing in the Connecticut Valley for over 30 years. Annual reproduction and survivorship suggest that numbers remain about the same for the past 3 Department of Environmental Conservationades and that local expansion of the population via adoption of new dens may be occurring. However, recent appearance of the invasive Cynanchum nigrum (Black Swallowort) has resulted in the need for control at one particular den site where over 95% of the birthing and basking areas became shaded and unusable. Cooperation from State Agencies have made significant strides to reducing this threat. Discovery of parthenogenic females just south of this current study site might suggest that this mode of reproduction is at least likely in populations at the edge of their geographic range.
Beyond the Curb: Assessing and Construction Ecological Decisions
Date: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm Room: Iroquois
10:30am - 10:50am	“Boots on the Ground” Are Already Going Green: Stream Restoration Best Practices from Maintenance Programs *James Buck, New York State Department of Transportation, Binghamton/Western Catskills Region In response to recent increases in storm intensity and frequency New York State Department of Transportation Maintenance Forces are being called upon to find ways to manage stream stability as they undertake work to protect transportation assets and the safety of travelers who drive on these assets. Management includes the use of environmentally sensitive techniques to stabilize stream channels, stream banks, movement of large sediment loads, and maintain hydraulic capacity of crossing structures. As a result of this need, several regions across New York State have developed best practices for dealing with storm aftermath or recurrent problem areas. This session would: show past restoration projects, share lessons learned and consider future directions of incorporating natural channel design and use of in-stream structures along transportation corridors. It will show how a combination of classroom and field training gives maintenance workers the knowledge, skills and abilities to undertake emergency and planned work by streams in a timely, safe and environmentally sustainable manner. One such example would include Cadosia Creek – Kerryville Brook. This was a Hurricane Irene Response Stream Restoration Project from the Fall 2011. Cadosia Creek and Keeyville Brook are two trout streams. New York State Route 268 parallels the Cadosia Creek for its entire length. The Kerryville Brook crosses under Route 268 and empties into the Cadosia Creek within 150 feet of this crossing. Since flooding in June 2006, there has been a high sediment load in the Kerryville Brook due to eroding banks and slides, thus causing reduced hydraulic capacity at the culvert over Route 268. Cadosia Creek’s bed elevation was almost even with the adjacent floodplain and therefore the Creek would usually overflow and a flood channel would form at the toe of the Route 268 embankment. Rather than treat the individual symptoms at this location, the sedimentation or the flooding, the Residency looked more broadly at the landscape and natural systems at this location. It set multiple objectives, each of which supported a more sustainable transportation system. This presentation would elaborate on the resolution of these issues. A proposal for “NY Route 21 Recurrent Problem Spots-Advance Environmental planning….” was submitted under separate cover, but could also be combined with this presentation as part of a panel session. New York State Department of Transportation will include activities in several other of its regions that will be brought into expand this into a panel session. These include: use of rock vanes and “j-hooks;” revegetation; and techniques to improve stream connectivity through culverts.
10:50am - 11:20am	Wildlife Tracking Skills: Identifying Trails Based On Track Patterns & Dimensions *Matt Walter, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Habitat Updating infrastructure is costly and transportation budgets will always be limited. Therefore, it is critical that wildlife passage funding is allocated to crossings where it will be most beneficial to wildlife and improve road safety. Such decision-making requires us to identify wildlife passage zones. While game cameras provide an excellent wildlife detection tool, equipment failures are common. Learning to identify wildlife trails is not as difficult or time-consuming as one might imagine, and adding tracking as a detection tool can provide insurance against such failures as it increase your probability of detection. Substrates seldom record clear prints and weathering quickly diminishes track details. However, wildlife trails often persist, and careful examination of track patterns and dimensions enables us to rule out various species and narrow down our options while identifying trails. This brief introduction to tracking will provide you with tips and resource recommendations to get you started.
11:20am - 11:40am	Alternatives to Roadway Lighting - Ecological Considerations *Leo Smith, International Dark Sky Association; *Dr. James Fischer, Zoological Lighting Institute Presentation on alternatives to roadway lighting, with a review of practices by CalTrans of not lighting freeways except at proven points of conflict, ecological hazards caused by blue-rich LEDs and other types of roadway lighting. Dr. James Fischer, Executive Director at the Zoological Lighting Institute will co-present, focusing on adverse consequences of roadway lighting on plants and species. In 1974, in response to the oil embargo, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) removed all roadway lighting from its freeways, and has not reinstalled continuous lighting since. CalTrans policy, in place of continuous lighting, is a policy of lighting only at Proven Points of Conflict. Proven Points of Conflict are identified as sections along the freeway with an abnormally high accident rate, and where passive alternatives such as improved reflectors or markings were not successful in reducing the high accident rate. In 2022 all new vehicles will be equipped with automatic breaking systems. Somewhere around 2030, the need for street lighting for crash avoidance will become marginal, calling into question the public safety benefit of lighting roadways and highways. Environmental groups often target the effects of artificial night lighting upon keystone and endangered species. This is for good reason, as often the public responds better to calls requesting help for charismatic animals (such as sea turtles or song birds) under specific threats than it does for its own well-being. We are greatly concerned with the general degradation of wildlife habitat in New York through artificial light, and its demonstrable effects upon the health, safety and welfare of our human communities. Natural light cycles contribute significantly to the physiology, sensory ecology and activity partitioning of virtually all life on land and sea. Light pollution restricts these cycles and creates more uniform conditions within which invaluable natural biodiversity is lost. Every class of animal, whether ‘nocturnal’ or ‘diurnal’ is affected, and as a consequence so are entire ecosystems that people depend upon. Biodiversity-loss mitigation has been identified by the United Nations as an imperative on a par with efforts to reduce climate change. Our talk will relate the environmental challenges related to light pollution to such broader public interest initiatives.
11:40am - 12:00pm	Assessment of Bat Roost Potential in New England Bridges *Angela Berthaume, University of Massachusetts Amherst – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Scott A. Civjan, University of Massachusetts Amherst – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Alyssa Bennett, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department; Elisabeth Dumont, University of Massachusetts Amherst – Biology Department Bats are known and documented to use bridge structures as roosts in various locations throughout the United States and abroad, but there is limited knowledge of how bats in the northeast use bridges. Significant population Department of Environmental Conservationlines in New England due to White-Nose Syndrome have resulted in several bat species being listed as state or federally threatened or endangered, with the Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) being most recently listed as federally threatened. Current 4(d) rulings for M. septentrionalis make exceptions for bridges as potential critical roost locations. However, understanding how bats in the northeast use bridges is still vitally important information for the future, especially if bat populations continue to Department of Environmental Conservationline and receive full federal protection. In that case, additional effort will be required to ensure bats are not disturbed or harmed during bridge construction or maintenance work, requiring knowledge of assessment methods to identify likely roost locations. This presentation describes an ongoing study to assess the methods for determining the likelihood of bats using bridges in New England. At project initiation, only one bridge in New England was a known roost bridge. After a single summer, six bridges throughout New England have been identified as roost structures, with an additional seventh bridge suspected as such. The project initially completed a literature review, interviews with a wide variety of personnel involved in tracking bat populations, inspecting bridges and researching bridge roosting, and rapid visual screenings of 182 bridges throughout New England. This preliminary work was used to select 15 bridges for further investigation. The presentation will include a brief overview of this work. Field work and data analysis completed thus far on the selected bridges will be discussed. Methods used for monitoring include visual inspection (staining characteristics, tools, guano identification), acoustic monitoring (methods and interpretation of data), and thermal imaging. Characteristics of roosts used in bridges will be discussed. It can be difficult to discern if staining observed in bridges is due to structural causation, bats, or other wildlife sources, and so training for inspection personnel is critical to obtain useful information. The presentation will provide some general guidance on these issues. Ultrasonic acoustic monitors were implemented at bridge sites to obtain information on species in the area. Microphone placement allowed for obtaining data on general species diversity at the site or for obtaining data on specific areas of the bridges with high roost potential. Both zero-cross and full-spectrum bat call identification software were utilized to classify bats using bridges and/or foraging in the immediate vicinity. Discrepancies between software results will be noted. Information gathered in the current study can be used as guidance for Department Transportation (DOT) agencies developing protocol for construction at potential bridge roosting sites. The presenter will discuss characteristics of bridge structures conducive to bat roosting, methods to monitor for likely bat presence, difficulties with existing inspection protocol, and recommendations for data collection that will ease the transition on DOT projects if bat species gain full federal protection listed as endangered.
Connecting the Spots: corrior planning for connectivity from national to local levels
Date: Wednesday, September 14 Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm Room: Wright
10:30am - 11:10am	Mitigation and the Role of Land Trusts: Conservation Partners for Transportation and Infrastructure Developers *Thomas R. Duffus, The Conservation Fund; Joe Hankins, The Conservation Fund Infrastructure improvements are underway throughout America, with challenges to balance economic development with sound environmental practices. The Conservation Fund believes this balance is essential for America's prosperity. The Conservation Fund has delivered nearly$200 million of mitigation solutions over the past few years that achieve important conservation results by protecting high-priority wildlife habitat, clean water and recreation areas. This session will delve into some lessons learned and examples of implementing large-scale mitigation projects from pipeline, transmission line, solar array, and other infrastructure development mitigation projects across the U.S., drawing parallels applicable to transportation needs. One example will include development of an in-lieu-fee mitigation program for rural road management and migratory fish passage. Another example will highlight how compensatory mitigation can support landscape scale conservation efforts and endangered species recovery. Another example will draw from the creation of the country’s largest wetland mitigation bank. A challenge facing both regulators and infrastructure developers is achieving mitigation that is publicly acceptable and at scale, once the avoidance and on-site aspects of addressing impacts are exhausted. While neither the typical pipeline company or transportation department or regulatory agency has as its core competency conservation of lands and waters, land trusts like The Conservation Fund do. The work of land trusts includes identifying and negotiating real estate transactions that add on to, complement or implement important ecological and open space conservation objectives including protection of land, restoration and management of natural systems. This skill set can take the load off agencies and developers in the implementation of compensatory mitigation, inserting greater efficiency in the regulatory and development processes, and achieving outstanding conservation results in the public’s interest. The Conservation Fund acts as a partner, working with project developers, regulators and conservationists to create and implement plans that mitigate for unavoidable effects on delicate landscapes. Its work has focused on both the site level as well as at landscape scale, offering comprehensive, credible and highly efficient compensatory mitigation packages. The Conservation Fund has a keen understanding of business needs, deep legal and real estate expertise, comprehensive knowledge of conservation opportunities, and agency credibility. Similarly, many of the nation’s 1000 active local land trusts have sophisticated programs of planning and delivering the types of results that regulators and developers seek for mitigation solutions. Participants in this presentation will come away with an enhanced understanding of the role of third-party mitigation, what land trusts like The Conservation Fund are capable of producing, and some brief case studies to prompt their thinking for future mitigation activity involving local and national land trusts.
10:50am - 11:20am	Landscape Linkages: Engaging Communities in Planning for Habitat Connectivity *Laura Heady, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources and Hudson River Estuary Program; *Andrew Meyer, Cornell University Water Resources Institute and Hudson River Estuary Program Many municipalities in the Hudson River Estuary watershed are early adopters of natural resource inventory and planning strategies that contribute to successful conservation outcomes. Maximizing on this local stewardship ethic, Cornell University staff at the NYSDepartment of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program have piloted a number of projects to foster habitat connectivity and resiliency through local planning. We will highlight several examples as case studies in this presentation. In the first, the Estuary Program partnered with the Town of Red Hook, Village of Red Hook, and Village of Tivoli in Dutchess County to integrate a Cornell University connectivity model into local land-use planning and conservation efforts. The model was based on a fine-scale integrity surface created for the municipalities, with emphasis on forests, forested wetlands, and riparian forests, and reflects structural connectivity based on best available spatial data. The project resulted in a framework of conservation opportunities and options to preserve or restore the local landscape so it facilitates ecological processes and connectivity among patches of habitat. Through stakeholder engagement and ongoing technical assistance with municipal leaders, the linkage network is being incorporated into substantive conservation initiatives that will address landscape connectivity. In several aquatic connectivity projects, the Estuary Program has been working with municipalities to reconnect stream environments at the most important locations. The Town of Stony Point in Rockland County is applying the stream barrier identification and prioritization work by incorporating problem infrastructure into their local hazard mitigation plan. In Columbia County, the towns of Ancram and Chatham are working to design and replace dis-connections at critical stream crossings, one through writing and receiving grants and the other through partnering with multiple organizations. These pilot projects provide examples of how innovative tools and approaches can be woven into existing local planning and process frameworks. By partnering with willing municipalities, we can produce models that can be adopted in other communities and agencies in the watershed and state.
11:20am - 11:40am	Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) *Gretchen Fowles, NJ Endangered & Nongame Species Program; Brian Zarate, NJ Endangered & Nongame Species Program; *MacKenzie Hall, NJ Endangered & Nongame Species Program Landscape permeability is critical to the persistence of many wildlife species. New Jersey is facing increasing habitat loss and fragmentation from steady urbanization, a dense network of roads, and a changing climate that are compromising the connectivity of habitat and wildlife populations. We have formed a working group comprised of representative organizations with the ability to implement connectivity actions on the ground to develop a statewide strategic plan to reconnect New Jersey’s landscape for terrestrial wildlife. The plan, in its final stages of development, will serve as a blueprint for strategic habitat conservation and will prioritize and guide habitat protection, habitat restoration and management, and the mitigation of barriers. The end products of this effort are: 1) a statewide map depicting key ecological cores and corridors for terrestrial wildlife, and 2) a guidance document that spells out implementation actions that can be taken to protect, restore, maintain, and enhance the permeability within and between the mapped cores and corridors. These products are intended to allow land-use, conservation, and transportation planning to operate in a more collaborative way, that reduces conflicts, saves money, increases driver safety, and ultimately improves the prospects for the long-term sustainability of New Jersey’s terrestrial wildlife.
11:40am - 12:00pm	Travel Corridor Unit Management Planning in the Adirondack Park *Ed Frantz, New York State Department of Transportation The Adirondack Park is the largest state park and state level protected area in the contiguous United States comprising over 6 million acres of private and state lands. The Park includes approximately 1,100 miles of state highways, and access to thousands of recreational resources. It is no overstatement to say that a safe, efficient and environmentally sound transportation network in the Adirondack Park is the lifeblood of the Park’s economy. That economy is based to a very large degree on tourism around the natural resources of the region. Although year round residents of the Park number slightly over 130,000, each year an estimated 3.5 million travelers visit the Adirondacks. To underscore the potential strength of this tourist based economy, it has been determined that 83.8 million people reside within a one-day drive of the Adirondack Park. Transportation has played a large role in the Adirondacks bold and colorful history. Trails, waterways, rail and roads have helped shape the park, and will continue to do so long into the future. This relationship has long been recognized by stakeholders and New York State Department of Transportation. The 1970 Report of the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks recommended emphasis of the scenic qualities of all in-Park roadways, while the 1972 Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan developed guidelines for travel corridors and noted that most visitors primary experience of the Park is from the travel corridors, and the Adirondack Highway Council (1974-1985) set forth common visions for transportation systems that strengthened the Park’s natural character. In this tradition, New York State Department of Transportation is moving forward Travel Corridor Unit Management Planning (TCUMP) which integrates the needs of a functional transportation system in the Park while meeting related social, economic and environmental needs where feasible. New York State Department of Transportation is collaborating with other agencies, local government and stakeholders to develop plans for all corridors in the Park. The long term outcomes will result in maintaining and improving the functional needs of the transportation system while integrating functional needs of society that relate to the economy, social needs, and environment. This means that transportation functional needs like cost, life cycle, durability, safety, will also look to strengthen social needs like tourism, water quality, habitat integrity/connectivity in a more defined and understood relationship to the transportation system. The presentation will give an overview of the current schedule and key highlights of the TCUMP’s including: knowledge and communication improvements, desired outcomes, recommendations, asset management, current outcomes, and how TCUMP’s will benefit future transportation Department of Environmental Conservationisions in the Park.
Posters Posters with an * will also be presenting a Poster Lightning Talk.
On Display Monday through Wednesday
A Modern Day Protocol to Assess Tidal Crossings* *Pete Steckler, The Nature Conservancy, NH Chapter Over the past year, a group of partners in New Hampshire started the process of developing a tidal crossing assessment protocol to identify and prioritize for replacement road crossings that are tidal restrictions, barriers to aquatic organism passage and saltmarsh migration, and that are at risk from storm events and sea level rise. This presentation will provide an overview of the protocol and the scoring criteria developed for prioritization.
A Three Component Mitigation Approach for Fish Passage in St. Lawrence River Tributaries *Justin Ecret and *Scott Schlueter - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Region 5) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s New York Field Office (NYFO) has been implementing a multi-component approach to evaluate tributaries to the St. Lawrence River for potential fish passage concerns. Funding provided by the Fish Enhancement, Mitigation, and Research Fund, as well as the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Program have both supported the NYFO and their efforts to assess over 400 potential fish barriers within 40 tributaries in Jefferson, St. Lawrence, and Franklin Counties. In order to prioritize mitigation efforts, the NYFO has also been conducting in-stream habitat, as well as migratory and resident fish community surveys in the upper St. Lawrence River systems since 2012. These combined data sets allow for a more efficient approach in identifying fish barriers within tributaries with greater habitat potential; thus allowing for a more effective approach to prioritize these ongoing mitigation efforts. Through collaborative efforts with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, the NYFO has completed two successful fish barrier removal projects restoring 28 miles of stream for riverine spawning fish.
Amphibians Hit the Road: Assessing Roadway Mortality and Ecopassage Utilization Along a Two-lane Highway* *Charlene Hopkins, Ohio University; SR Kuchta, Ohio University; WM Roosenburg, Ohio University As roadways reduce amphibian population sizes, disrupt connectivity, and degrade habitat mitigation measures are increasingly being implemented. Barriers and ecopassages are a common strategy used to mitigate roadway impacts. Barriers limit access to roadways and may direct animals toward ecopassages, which are corridors designed to conduct animals safely over or under the roadway. The effectiveness of these mitigation measures for small animals remains poorly studied. We quantified levels of roadway mortality, ecopassage use, and amphibian populations, to assess the effectiveness of a barrier-ecopassage system along a two-lane highway. We also conducted roadway crossing behavior, ecopassage use, and ecopassage style choice experiments. We will be presenting our findings thus far and directions for future research.
Assessment of Amphibian Movement Using RFID Tags and Antennas *Robin Dornan, Acadia University, Biology Department, Wolfville, NS, Canada; G. Randy Milton, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Kentville, NS; Trevor Avery, Acadia University, Biology Department, Wolfville, NS, Canada The objective of this study is to characterize tadpole and adult frog culvert use, and habitat use in the area near the culvert, for a major highway twinning project. Movement patterns and habitat use are being studied to with respect to the culvert as a connection between habitats. Individual identification of animals is necessary for effective monitoring and to determine population-level parameters such as estimates of abundance. We developed a method of implanting tadpoles with Passive Integrated Tags (PIT) tags to provide monitoring throughout ontogeny. In laboratory trials, retention of tags was 100% and the tags remain in the body throughout metamorphosis. Mortality was no different than untagged tadpoles. In the field, both tadpoles and frogs were implanted with PIT tags and are being tracked using traps, nets, antenna arrays and a backpack antenna reader, which is used to examine wetland areas near the culvert stream. Four antennas were set up on each side of the culvert to monitor movement towards and away the highway. The backpack is used to monitor terrestrial movement, but also movement in other habitats especially where manual surveys are difficult. This project should lead to improvements in the design of culvert passageways, and offers a new method of marking tadpoles and frogs for other tracking projects.
Building Bridges Between the New York State Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to Collaborate with Multiple Environmental Resource Agencies Forming Partnerships to Reconstruct Route 15 on New Alignment with a Focus on Habitat Restoration *Pauline Burnes, Regional Landscape Architect, New York State Department of Transportation The reconstruction of Route 15 in the Southern Tier of New York State required the design and construction of 6 miles of a four lane highway on new alignment to avoid and minimize impacts to floodplains, farmland, wetlands, streams, cultural resources, the hamlet of Lindley, and existing residences. The presentation will focus on lessons learned from the landscape design, habitat restoration of highway corridor ecology and stream mitigation efforts at Morgan Creek. The new highway required coordination and partnerships between two state transportation agencies, the New York State Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Multiple agencies were involved, including the Federal Highway Administration; United States Army Corp of Engineers; United States Fish and Wildlife Service; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources; New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Historic Preservation Office); The Tribal Preservation Officer(s); the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed Coalition and others. The landscape design for upland and lowland habitat restoration, stream mitigation, wetland mitigation and site restoration required coordination between multiple consultants and New York State Department of Transportation staff. The presenter's personal involvement included the review of Consultant designs related to landscape architecture, erosion and sediment control, and storm water management. Mrs. Burnes prepared upland habitat restoration plans, stream mitigation planting plans and supervised and performed landscape inspection during construction. The total amount of planting on the project, including stream and wetland mitigation, was over 10,000 trees, shrubs, seedlings and plugs of native species. The presentation will focus on the highway corridor ecology and restoration of upland slopes and stream mitigation at Morgan Creek, with attempts to balance ecological and transportation aspects with an interdisciplinary approach involving engineering and ecological expertise.
Constructing Vernal Pools for Wetlands Mitigation: How Well Are We Doing?* *Mary Beth Kolozsvary, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Siena College; Meredith A. Holgerson, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University Vernal pools are small, isolated, ephemeral wetlands that undergo cyclical periods of drying and inundation; they are an important ecological resource throughout northern and eastern North American and provide key habitat for several amphibian and invertebrate species. Vernal pools often lack legal protection and are subject to degradation and destruction. To mitigate the loss of these pools from the landscape, pool creation or restoration is becoming more common. Yet, vernal pools are among the most difficult wetland systems to create, particularly with respect to hydroperiod and long-term monitoring to assess the functioning of created pools is scare. Furthermore, studies rarely integrate multiple, interacting levels of the pool ecosystem, including physical, chemical, and biological parameters. To address this research need, we studied created pools at Stewart International Airport that were constructed as mitigation associated with construction of an East-West connector alignment to facilitate access to the airport. We compared the physical habitat, water chemistry, productivity, and community composition of macroinvertebrates and amphibians from seven-year old created pools (n = 7) to reference pools (n = 6). Created pools were smaller in size, received more sunlight, had greater amounts of Lemna, Typha, and Phragmites, and were less likely to dry. Created pools had higher pH and conductivity, but algal biomass did not differ. Macroinvertebrate richness was similar across pools, but composition starkly differed. Amphibian species richness and composition was similar between created and reference pools; however, created pools had fewer focal pool-breeding amphibians, including the spotted salamander and wood frog. Our results have several important implications for improving pool construction. By assessing the entire pool ecosystem, we found that although created vernal pools can provide habitat for a variety of species, the ability to mimic the physical and ecological functions of natural vernal pools is questionable.
Defining Transportation Asset Criticality Equitably *Mathew Mampara, Dewberry; *Krista Rand, Dewberry Transportation infrastructure resilience is built on having accurate data and tools to make good Department of Environmental Conservationisions about what to do with the critical transportation assets that have significant risk exposure under climate change. Defining what is a critical asset represents a challenge when working at statewide scales. To accomplish a truly statewide risk assessment that provides a robust platform for climate change adaptation Department of Environmental Conservationision making and planning, assessment of asset criticality must incorporate regional understanding while providing replicability and transparency. This presentation will provide an update on an ongoing project to produce a criticality framework that would help northeastern DOTs move beyond the traditional criticality assessment measures of passenger volume and commercial usage and build an approach that would address the diverse landscape of northeastern states and address the typical urban bias in assessing criticality of transportation infrastructure. The presentation will provide results of surveys and stakeholder engagement and provide attendees an overview of the criticality framework proposed from the research results.
Freshwater Mussel Survey Results and Permitting for New York State Transportation Projects *Steve Cammisa, NYDOT; Judson Powell, New York State Department of Transportation Fresh water mussel surveys are frequently needed for NY State Department of Transportation projects in the Susquehanna River and Delaware River watersheds. This presentation will discuss two projects that involved NY State listed species within a project construction area and how each project addressed avoidance, permitting and mitigation for the listed species.
Jamaica Bay Watershed, Queens New York Infrastructure Improvement Project *Brian Sayre, Dewberry The Springfield Gardens Area Reconstruction Project was conceived to solve chronic flooding and poor roadway and infrastructure conditions in the Springfield Gardens section of Queens, NY. The project included reconstruction of 2.5 miles of roadway, sanitary, and storm sewer improvements constructed in tandem with sediment retention and floodplain, wetland, and stormwater best management practice (BMP) drainage improvements in Springfield and Idlewild Parks. We developed a design that naturally conveys and treats stormwater by improving degraded ecological conditions in Springfield Lake and Idlewild Park, while improving the flow of neighborhood and local traffic along Springfield Boulevard and surrounding streets. Springfield Lake flows directly into Jamaica Bay through Thurston Basin along the wetland stormwater conveyance system. The project included dredging sediment/organic debris from the lake, which deepened the lake and reduced algal blooms. To remove a portion of urban stormwater runoff contaminants that were flowing into Jamaica Bay, we designed three primary BMPs. The BMPs reduce peak flows, provide stormwater flood control, improve water quality, and restore natural areas by replacing invasive plants with native vegetation. Springfield Lake was restored by removing accumulated sediments and by planting wetland shelves along the perimeter of the Lake, to benefit aquatic habitat. A series of BMP wetland systems were constructed, including extensive emergent wetland plantings with vegetated buffer zones, creating an enhanced riparian corridor. A 2,000-f00t-long porous concrete installation, underlain with structural soil to store and infiltrate stormwater and to encourage tree growth, was constructed in the Springfield Boulevard median. Sidewalks and parking lanes were installed on each side of Springfield Boulevard, a bike path was constructed in an existing wooded area on the eastern side of Springfield Boulevard, and 490 trees were planted. This project looks at transportation engineering and ecological improvements together to yield far-reaching quality of life benefits. The project is a key component of PlaNYC, a 127-point plan designed to create the first environmentally sustainable 21st century city. The long-term plan focuses on every facet of New York’s physical environment – its transportation network, housing stock, land and park system, energy and water infrastructure, and water and air quality, with the goal of a 30% reduction in global warming emissions by 2030. PlaNYC’s Interagency BMP Task Force, comprised of over 14 city agencies and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, is a vital component in implementing the plan. New York City may be one of the most challenging forums on the planet to advance a project of this nature. A long roster of stakeholders, many functioning under difficult bureaucratic frameworks, is required to review and accept these improvements. With the vision of the NYCDEP and PlaNYC behind it, this Infrastructure Improvement Project leveraged ecological restoration to improve traffic, relieve flooding, and enhance open space—a remarkable precedent setting accomplishment.
Monitoring Effectiveness of Reptile Tunnels and Exclusion Fencing on Highway 69, Ontario, Canada* *Kari E. Gunson, Eco-Kare International; Andrew Healy, Ontario Ministry of Transportation; Terri Rogers, Ontario Ministry of Transportation This presentation documents the results of monitoring road mitigation measures (three 2.8 m high by 3.3 m wide concrete box tunnels with associated reptile exclusion fencing) for turtles, primarily Blanding’s Turtle on a new highway alignment on Highway 69 as part of a larger highway expansion project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Monitoring consisted of a daily walking transect between 15-May and 15-July 2015 along two 3 km sections of highway, one mitigated (Sheppard Lake) and one not mitigated (Clear Lake). Both transects bisected similar adjacent wetland habitat and were approximately 40 km apart. Monitoring also consisted of camera monitoring between 06-Jun-15 and 01-Oct-15 for turtle use of the three reptile tunnels. In order to ensure full functionality of the reptile fencing an assessment and maintenance phase was completed in early May, 2015. Reptile fence maintenance occurred at and between four drainage systems (culverts), and three reptile tunnels, along the new highway alignment and at on isolated drainage system 1.4 km north of the new alignment. Maintenance required adding fence materials to increase fence height above high water levels at culverts, repairing fence damaged from changes in hydrology, reattaching fence to large animal wire mesh fence, closing three one-way gates, and a 100 m fence extension at southern fence end. Two months of walking transects found six turtles along the Sheppard Lake transect (3 km) and 26 turtles along the Clear Lake transect (3 km). Ninety percent of all turtles found were dead on the road, and of those that could be identified 76% were female. Eighteen percent of all the turtles found were Blanding’s Turtles, and Painted and Snapping Turtles were found equally: 41% of the time. The improved continuous fencing (2 km) was deemed effective when compared to the fenced section that was surveyed as part of a research study in 2013. There were 3 turtles found along the continuous section of fencing in 2015 that were attributed to fence ends, as compared to 17 turtles found along the same transect during the same monitoring period in 2013. The sampling effort was similar, with the exception of one additional driving survey done in 2013. When comparing the two 3 km transects surveyed in 2015, the mitigated site, Sheppard Lake, had only 5 turtles found on the road as opposed to 26 turtles at the unmitigated Clear Lake transect. Collectively, both these comparisons in turtle counts in the before/after and control/impact scenarios show that the mitigation and tunnel system is effective to alleviate turtle road mortality. Monitoring cold-blooded reptiles with available camera technologies was challenging because the tunnels were located in wet sites. However, our methods captured 10 turtles (5 Snapping Turtle and 5 Painted Turtle) on both passive time lapse and active beam triggered cameras. Short-term recommendations are to extend the functionality of the reptile fence by extending the continuous section of fence approximately 450 m in each direction on both sides of the highway to join onto other potential crossing structures built for large animals.
'No Sport for the Short Winded;' a Grassroots Wildlife Crossing Success Story* *Chris Slesar, Monkton Conservation Commission Stuart Udall's quote, "conservation is no sport for the short winded" resonates loud and clear with the grassroots volunteer partners that have worked for over a Department of Environmental Conservationade to construct two amphibian tunnels in Monkton, Vermont. In the late-summer and early fall of 2015 the two tunnels were installed. The spring of 2016 has been the first year of post-construction monitoring, and preliminary results are extremely encouraging. This presentation will be a case study of a successful infrastructure mitigation project at regionally significant amphibian population in Addison County, Vermont, This population has been monitored for nearly 20 years, during the spring migration across the increasingly busy Monkton-Vergennes Road, which is a town owned and maintained roadway. Biologists feared that this population could not sustain itself without an infrastructure intervention. Fifty-percent, sometimes more, of the animals migrating across this roadway were being run over by vehicles during their migration - and this is with the assistance of volunteers moving them out of traffic. This presentation will chronicle the process of identifying the problem and devising and implementing a solution from a grassroots perspective. This process took a committed group of volunteers over 10 years to complete. Therefore, this presentation will outline lessons learned and challenges overcome during that period. It will share fundraising strategies that worked for us; political hurdles that needed to be overcome; and some of the things that we should have done differently. This presentation will also share design details. The goal of this presentation is to empower other communities with some of the tools and tricks that we learned, in the hopes that similar efforts can build off of , and expand on, our success. Ultimately the success of this project relied on a team of dedicated volunteers that committed to this project for the long-haul. The project relied on building a strong and diverse public and private partnership, that took this project from the fringe to the mainstream. The presentation will highlight the roles and extreme value of the stakeholders/partners involved.
Predicting Moose Crossing Hotspots in Western Maine Using Habitat Connectivity Models* *Chuck Hulsey, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; *Devon Witherell, Maine Department of Transportation; *Bob Cordes, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; *Amanda Shearin, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife There are approximately 500 moose-vehicle crashes in Maine each year, with many of these incidents occurring in the northern and western regions of the state. The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) work collaboratively to identify potential infrastructure and ecological contributors to collision hotspots. In 2011, MDIFW, MaineDOT, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Maine Audubon developed statewide spatially explicit models predicting likely road crossing locations for ten focal species, mainly herptiles and medium-sized mammals, representing a wide range of connectivity issues and habitat types. These models, known as the Beginning with Habitat Riparian and Large Habitat Block Connectors, have been used by MaineDOT, land trusts, municipalities, and other partners in Maine to identify potential opportunities for enhancing habitat connectivity. However, these models have not been field tested and it is unknown if they also can be used to predict road crossing locations for moose. Furthermore, it is likely that crossing locations for moose may change over time, particularly in response to local and regional land uses. For example, MDIFW surveys in western Maine indicate a shift in the locations and use intensity of roadside moose wallows between 2001 and 2015. Using data from MaineDOT’s collision database, we are assessing whether modeled Block Connectors and historic and current moose wallow information can be used to predict moose-vehicle crash locations in western Maine. Results of this effort can help inform transportation planning efforts to reduce animal-vehicle collisions in other regions of the state as well as identify opportunities for safely enhancing habitat connectivity for large mammals.
Replacing a Century Old Landmark Railroad Bridge - Breaking Eggs for the Omelette *Michael Robson, Ph.D., Bergmann Associates Current replacement construction of a landmark railroad bridge within an ecologically, historically and culturally sensitive site is discussed as it involves navigating complex permitting challenges. These range widely in application and execution from multiple stakeholders that include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The process and current results are discussed as they relate to inter-agency coordination, protected species management, and best management practices in extremely demanding transportation construction corridors.
Reptile Fencing and Turtle-friendly Beaver Baffle Design, Testing and Monitoring* *Julia McCann, Master's of Environmental Studies Candidate, Queen's University; *Ryan Danby, Queen's University; *Kari Gunson, Eco-Kare International Road mortality is a leading cause of Department of Environmental Conservationline for many reptile species and is well documented on Ontario’s Highways. Mitigation measures such as reptile fencing and wildlife crossing structures assist in reducing road mortality while providing connectivity between natural habitats bisected by roads. Existing drainage culverts may be an alternative for wildlife passage until other tunnels for wildlife passage can be built during highway improvement and rehabilitation projects. However, beavers often create dams and impede water flow in these culverts causing road flooding. Maintenance workers often obstruct culvert access from beavers on a case-by-case basis by fabricating or purchasing available metal appurtenances to attach to culvert ends. These may be effective at keeping beavers out, but also obstruct or altogether prevent passage by turtles. This talk will address the use of various exclusion devices in combination with wildlife fencing, and the monitoring of these devices. We conducted an exhaustive literature review to determine what beaver exclusion devices have been used elsewhere and whether any are currently suitable or could be retrofitted to allow turtle passage. This was supplemented with follow-up telephone and email contact with authors and other experts wherein a progression of questions was asked in order to address key themes, and information obtained was organized into tables under appropriate headings. Results show a general lack of literature on exclusion devices, especially those that accommodate turtles. Of the information retrieved, there was lack of studies on the effectiveness of these devices. Effectiveness was largely based on anecdotal information gained from secondary sources such as information collected during follow up conversations. Long-term monitoring is needed to assess these devices. A site on Ontario’s Highway #7, approximately one-hour northwest of Kingston was chosen as an optimal site to monitor wildlife road mortality, beaver activity, and to test exclusion devices. There are eight turtle species native to the test site, seven of which are species at risk. Beaver activity is high on the south culvert end, creating a barrier for turtle passage, which could contribute to turtle road mortality. A dam surrounding the culvert face with an exclusion screen to deter beaver activity is currently in place, and permanent Aminex fencing exists along 560 meters of the south side of the road, and 330 meters on the north side to prevent turtles from reaching the road. Two cameras are mounted on the south side of the road, one monitoring movement at a fence jump out and one monitoring usage of a drainage culvert with an exclusion screen modified with an opening to allow passage. Road surveys have been conducted since 2012 to contribute to site monitoring. Further research will be conducted in the 2016 field season, including removing the exclusion screen currently in place on the culvert on the north side of the road and testing other exclusion designs. This site serves as a pilot project for testing and refining appropriate strategies for mitigation and monitoring, which could be applied to other sites encountering similar issues.
Restoration of the Historic Marker Commemorating the New York State Biological Survey, Route 417, Wellsville, NY *John Rowen and *Sandra Rapp, New York State Department of Transportation In Fall, 2013, a New York State Department of Transportation maintenance crew from Allegany Residency discovered an 80-year-old historic marker while doing highway maintenance near Duffy Hollow Brook in Wellsville. The highway workers carefully uncovered the marker, hoping to restore it. New York State Department of Transportation chose Allegany County’s B.O.C.E.S. vocational technical school to perform the restoration because of the school’s excellent reputation, skilled instructors and availability of equipment to repair the delicate cast iron. The sign bottom had broken off, there was a long crack in the sign’s right side and it was caked with rust. Students repaired and reinforced the sign with steel, sandblasted the rust and painted it. Residency crews re-erected the restored marker where it was placed in 1935 at Duffy Hollow Brook where it runs under State Route 417. It is placed behind the guiderail approaching the bridge. The marker commemorates a statewide watershed fisheries survey that was begun at Duffy Hollow Brook. During the summers of 1926-1939, the New York State Conservation Department conducted a survey of aquatic resources. This was the first statewide survey conducted in this country and remains the most comprehensive. The cast iron historic marker is a product of the original State Historic Marker Program that was launched in 1926 by the State Education Department to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Revolution. It is estimated that approximately 3,000 small, cast iron site markers were erected statewide as part of this program (1926-1939). A small percentage of the markers were dedicated by both the New York State Education and Conservation Departments. These signs were placed in locations that were important from a conservation standpoint. The rare conservation-themed historic markers have unique details, including beavers, pine cones and a pine tree with the dates 1885 and 1935. The dates commemorate creation of the State Forest Preserve and 50 years of conservation in New York. This Duffy Hollow Brook sign is the only one of its type known to exist in Allegany County. The watershed survey summer field camps became a training school for a group of biologists that went on to lead environmental management agencies and teach conservation at universities in the mid and late 20th century. The Survey’s leader was Emmeline Moore, one of the first women fisheries managers in the nation. The Survey set standards and developed policies and procedures, which were used in New York, adapted by other states and which remained in effect for Department of Environmental Conservationades. The Survey was innovative, thorough, and well documented. They are a sterling example of bringing science-based Department of Environmental Conservationision-making to a public program. One of the most famous products of the survey was a series of detailed fish portraits. The illustrations, by Ellen Edmonson and Hugh P. Chrisp, were based on live fish caught during the survey and were completed in the field. The portraits have become a resource to biologists, natural historians and illustrators. These works of art are now housed at the New York State Museum. The illustrations continue to appear in publications and exhibits to this day.
Restoring and Enhancing Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus a. Alleganiensis) Habitat Through the Placement of Flagstone Cover Rocks *Kenneth Roblee, NYS Department of Envirionmental Conservation (retired); *Sarah Piecuch, NYS Department of Transportation; *Anne Rothrock, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis) habitat in Western New York is not continuous within streams. Suitable habitat of this obligate aquatic salamander is found where large flagstone rocks are present. As a result hellbenders occurrences are intermittent and sometimes far from other sites. In 2010 two New York State agencies, NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (Department of Environmental Conservation) began a joint project to restore and enhance hellbender habitat in the Allegheny River Watershed by placing large flagstone rocks in four hellbender inhabited streams. In total, 31 pallets, or 3, 800 square feet, of quarried flagstone 1.5 - 3” thick were purchased and individually hand placed by staff from these agencies. Captive-reared hellbenders were observed to use the placed flagstone after release and have become established at four enhanced and previously unoccupied sites. Although the rock placement effort targeted release sites for captive-reared hellbenders resident wild hellbenders soon found and occupied placed flagstones at sites. Based on our results the placement of flagstone cover rocks can be an effective tool to enhance habitat at existing hellbender population sites and to create or restore habitat needed to improve habitat distribution and continuity.
State Wildlife Action Plans and Transportation-related Wildlife Projects* *Dee Blanton, US Fish and Wildlife Service State Wildlife Action Plans look at the broad array of wildlife in a particular state and use criteria to identify ""Species of Greatest Conservation Need."" The Plans identify threats to these species and their habitats, conservation actions to address threats, and ways to measure the effectiveness of the actions. Many of the 2015 State Wildlife Action Plans identify transportation infrastructure as a threat to wildlife and habitat, and describe actions to Department of Environmental Conservationrease the negative impacts of roads. This presentation will provide examples from State Wildlife Action Plans and some resulting transportation projects in the Northeast.
Stream Restoration: Creative Design at a Difficult Culvert Outlet Restores a Beaverkill River Tributary and Thermal Refuge *Judson Powell, New York State Department of Transportation; Steve Cammissa, New York State Department of Transportation The rehabilitation of a large culvert under Interstate 81 in Delaware County provided the New York State Department of Transportation with an opportunity to restore hundreds of feet of cold-water stream habitat in a tributary to the legendary Beaverkill River. A creative outlet design redirected flow from an eroding, unnatural channel to a nearby dry relic streambed, halting the ongoing deposition of thousands of tons of eroded sediment into the most famous trout stream in the United States. The restored flow to the relic streambed now features an aesthetically pleasing 50-foot waterfall and provides spawning habitat and a thermal refuge for Beaverkill trout.
Whiteface Highway Rare Plant Monitoring and Transplant Project* *Stephen M. Young, New York Natural Heritage Program The Whiteface Mountain Highway (just north of Lake Placid, NY) was reconstructed during the summers of 2014 and 2015 in order to improve drainage, level and repave the surface, and reconstruct walls and shoulders. The work took place in areas where three rare plants had been documented by the New York Natural Heritage Program, alpine goldenrod (Solidago leiocarpa) state threatened, bearberry willow (Salix uva-ursi) state threatened, and snowline wintergreen (Pyrola minor) state endangered and the only known site in the state. The goal of the project was to monitor the rare plants during the roadwork and to transplant to a safe place any plants affected by the construction. Steve Young, Chief Botanist for the NY Natural Heritage Program, coordinated the project with a team of dedicated volunteers who helped monitor and transplant the plants.