VIRGINIA SAFE WILDLIFE CORRIDORS COLLABORATIVE
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Updates and News

From the Virginia Safe Wildlife Corridors Collaborative

Herp Photos needed- get the iNaturalist app!

3/13/2023

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We are enlisting your help in documenting observations of reptiles and amphibians (dead or alive) in Virginia - particularly on or near roads (but any Virginia herp photos will do). A new Virginia Reptiles and Amphibians on Roads project has been created in iNaturalist. iNaturalist is an international citizen-science data collection platform. It is simple to use and can be accessed through a website or an app on your phone.
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iNaturalist is increasingly being used by the scientific community as a data source for research conducted for the benefit of wildlife populations. We set up the Virginia Reptiles and Amphibians on Roads project to gain a better understanding of the species most affected by road mortality, locations with the highest frequencies of mortality, and the habitat conditions associated with these hotspots. Similar projects have been conducted in the U.S. and Canada, and these efforts can ultimately be used to implement measures to safely connect reptile and amphibian habitat across roads.

If you’re able to contribute, follow the instructions written in the project’s journal post “Welcome and Instructions” on the project’s home page. You are welcome to use the data collected for this project; anyone with an iNaturalist account can export data as a spreadsheet.


This news update was featured in the Winter 2023 VSWCC Newsletter. Click here to see the full newsletter. 
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new!: Elk and Corridor q Study webpage

9/20/2022

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Photo by Braiden Quinlan.

​Check out the new "Elk and Corridor Q" page on our website

Virginia DOT and Virginia DWR are currently conducting a study along Corridor Q in southwestern Virginia concerning driver and wildlife safety along the newly constructed road. The study will be the first of its kind in Virginia with regard to the scope and scale of wildlife crossing recommendations.
​Learn more about the study, titled "Strategies to Increase Driver Safety and Connect Habitat for Elk and Other Wildlife along Corridor Q in Southwest Virginia", in our Partner Projects -> Wildlife Crossing Research section of our website or by clicking here. 
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checkout the first vswcc newsletter!

7/7/2022

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The Virginia Safe Wildlife Corridors Collaborative now has a newsletter!

This newsletter will periodically recap recent meetings, summarize recent funding and job opportunities related to habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors, and other related news. 

See the July 2022 newsletter here.
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Happy Pollinator week

6/22/2022

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​June 20-26, 2022 is Pollinator Week!

Pollinators are critical to the health of our ecosystems. Many pollinators rely on open and disturbed habitats, such as roadsides. Threats such as loss of habitat, pesticide exposure, disease, and the introduction of invasive species threaten their existence.  Roads can expose pollinators to many of these threats.

Here are some resources to learn more about roadsides and pollinators:
- VDOT's Pollinator Habitat Program
- US Department of Transportation "Pollinators and Roadsides: Best Management Practices for Managers and Decision Makers" (2015)

- Xerces Society "Pollinators and Roadsides" Invertebrate Conservation Guidelines Document
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Vdot adopts POLICY AND GUIDANCE MANUAL for large animal crash countermeasures

5/17/2022

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Great news for Virginia wildlife! The Virginia Department of Transportation has adopted a new policy and guidance manual that should result in improved habitat connectivity and a decreased risk of wildlife crashes.

These documents provide planners, project managers, and traffic engineers procedures and technical guidance for deciding when and where to consider wildlife-vehicle collision countermeasures in the design of new projects or when evaluating ways to mitigate crashes in existing wildlife crash hot spots.

Click here to view the guidance manual.
This new policy, available here, provides information on the following:
  • How to obtain a more accurate estimate of deer crashes on a road segment.  
  • How to calculate costs for a large animal crash.  
  • The conditions under which large animal crash countermeasures should be considered, including road classification, posted speed, and the number of crashes that indicate a high risk area.  
  • The policy notes that countermeasures can be considered at lower crash thresholds and/or other road systems at the discretion of district staff.
The VSWCC is proud to have partners within VDOT's Virginia Transportation Research Council working to make travel safer for both people and wildlife. 
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    About us

    The Virginia Safe Wildlife Corridors Collaborative (VSWCC) is commited to protecting people and wildlife by reducing animal-vehicle conflicts and improving safe wildlife passage. Partners come from various groups, including government agencies, researchers, non-profits, and concerned citizens. 

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  • Home
  • Areas of Focus
    • WILDLIFE CROSSINGS
    • RESEARCH SUPPORT
    • INFORMING CONSERVATION >
      • Conservation Tools
      • Virginia Legislation for Wildlife Corridors
      • Resources
  • Partner Projects
    • Research >
      • Elk and Corridor Q
      • Bobcat Movement Ecology
      • Southern Albemarle Mountains
      • Enhancing Underpasses with Fencing on I-64
    • Citizen Science
    • Virginia Natural Landscape Assessment
  • News
  • Relevant policy and regulations
    • Virginia Legislation and Policies for Wildlife Corridors
    • Federal Wildlife Crossing Legislation
  • Resources
    • Relevant Research
    • Funding Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity
    • Information about Wildlife Corridors
  • Virginia's Habitat Connectivity Hub
  • Contact