Update on the elk-crossing gizmo
First discussed on Desert Rat Here
From the Arizona Republic:
Arizona 260 gets wired for elk
Bob Golfen
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 2, 2007 12:00 AMPAYSON – Norris Dodd was trying to act like an elk, pacing back and forth across a fenced-in area beside Arizona 260 near Payson.
The wildlife biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department was demonstrating the workings of the nation’s first wildlife crossing designed to warn motorists of large animals approaching the busy highway.
On a computer screen nearby, Dodd’s infrared image glowed in white silhouette.
When the animal-detection system goes into operation this month, infrared cameras and military-grade software will set off large signs and warning lights so that drivers will know to slow down and be ready for a possible encounter with a 600-pound elk, a mule deer or some other creature of significant size.
“Hopefully, it will convince motorists to slow down,” Dodd said.
“This is an example of real-time ITS (information technology system) communication with drivers.”
The high-tech crossing is part of an extensive system of wildlife underpasses and electrified fencing along a three-mile stretch of Arizona 260 about seven miles east of Payson that is designed to guide animals across the highway with less danger. It allows the wildlife to maintain migration and foraging patterns while minimizing the danger to motorists and the animals.
The fences guide the creatures along the highway and funnel them to places where they can cross under the road or, at the electronic animal- detection area, where motorists will be warned of their crossing.
The wildlife crossing is similar to a pedestrian crosswalk in a city except for the detection system that the animals set off by their presence.
“The elk don’t know how to push the ‘walk’ button with their noses,” Dodd said.
“You don’t have to train the animals to use the system; you have to train the drivers.”
The electronic crosswalk, fencing and underpass system is a multiagency demonstration project, with cooperation by Game and Fish, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Forest Service.
Electrobraid Fence Ltd., the Canadian company that supplies the inexpensive electrified cord attached to the fencing, has been heavily involved in the project and will help collect data and monitor the results.
The fencing and electronic-crossing system cost about $700,000.
That’s significantly cheaper than building a $3 million underpass plus the fencing to guide the animals to it, Dodd said.
A federal enhancement grant arranged through ADOT is picking up most of the tab.
Electronic roadside animal detection has been deployed in a few other wilderness areas nationwide, but the Arizona system is the first using fencing to guide the animals to a specific area for crossing the road. State and federal agencies will evaluate the project for two years to see how well it works and whether it should be deployed in other areas.
“This is the first wildlife crossing of its kind in America,” said David Byron, president of ElectroBraid.
Infrared cameras, which detect heat from the animals, and regular view cameras are mounted on tall poles to watch the animals’ behavior as they approach the road-crossing area.
These images will be collected by the agencies for study.
A laser-beam trip mechanism is also used as part of the detection system.
Electronic global positioning system collars have been put on 25 migrating elk, Dodd said, to monitor their movement through the area, showing the researchers how the patterns are changed by the three-mile road-crossing system.
The crosswalk system also includes sensors imbedded in the highway to collect data on how drivers react to the flashing signs, how fast they were traveling and how quickly they slowed down.
The fences and detection devices are designed to blend in to the forest so they don’t create an eyesore for drivers in the scenic area.
The section of Arizona 260 where the crosswalk is deployed has registered some very high-speed traffic despite the 55 mph speed limit, Dodd noted, especially vehicles traveling west where the road changes from a four-lane divided highway to two lanes. During a two-day period recently, 136 cars and trucks were monitored traveling more than 100 mph, he said, and the average speed was 82 mph.
There have been more than 200 accidents with vehicles hitting elk on Arizona 260 in the past four years, according to Game and Fish.
Areas where the elk are being funneled through underpasses have seen an 83 percent reduction in such incidents, Dodd said.
“This project will create conditions that are not only better for people but better for the wildlife,” Dodd said.
[...] A cool update to this story. [...]
February 19th, 2008 at 7:56 pm