On behalf of the Waterbury Conservation Commission I am pleased to announce the next presentation in the “Shutesville Wildlife Series”, Impacts of the I-89 Winooski River Corridor on Wildlife. Hope to see you there!

Impacts of the I-89 Winooski River Corridor on Wildlife
By Jim Andrews, Wildlife Biologist
November 20th 2014
7:00-8:30pm
Free and Open to the Public
Donations accepted for the Waterbury Conservation Fund
Waterbury Grange
317 Howard Ave. Waterbury Center VT
Contact; Allan Thompson with the Waterbury Conservation Commission 802-244-8131. Email: aothompson@gmail.com

The Green Mountains include some of the largest remaining unfragmented forest blocks in the northeastern U.S. I-89, the Winooski River, a railroad line and local roads divide this habitat block west of Waterbury, Vermont. Opportunities for wildlife to 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 been studied. The goal of the Wildlife Connectivity Study is to better define: the variety and abundance of large and medium-sized mammals in this region; the current crossing activity, particularly at existing bridges and culverts; and the edge effect zone that may exist along roadways and other fragmenting features. A combination of methods including wildlife cameras, winter tracking, and roadkill surveys are underway to obtain data on species presence, habitat usage, and movement patterns. This will allow us to evaluate usage of existing and potential road crossings and the effects of fragmenting features. The study is not a comprehensive analysis of species density or distribution, but should yield a sufficient understanding of species distribution and movements to inform decision-making regarding crossing structures. Results from the first year of the two-year study will be presented.

In collaboration with Vermont Fish and Wildlife, Vermont Department of Transportation, and McFarland Johnson.

Oct 24, 2024, 12 to 1 PM

Oct 25, 2024, 1 PM

Oct 29, 2024, 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM