Research Task: 8327CFC.5.0
Task Manager: Doug Ouren
Since the 1960s, there has been a dramatic increase in both the number of vehicles on our Nation’s roadways and the number of roadway miles. From 1960 to 2003, State motor vehicle registrations tripled from nearly 74 million to over 231 million; the total miles of public roads increased from 3.5 to nearly 4 million; and the annual vehicle distance traveled grew from 719,762 to 2.8 million miles. In addition, the sale and use of off-highway vehicles also has skyrocketed. With the construction of new roads, increased use of motorized vehicles, and increasing dispersal of the human population to more rural areas, wildlife populations are losing habitats. As they are being forced to navigate through temporally and spatially fragmented habitats, they are losing genetic diversity and experiencing increased mortality from a variety of sources. The objective of this task is to provide simultaneous monitoring of (1) the daily, seasonal, and annual movements of wildlife species of interest (initially elk), and (2) the use of motorized vehicles in western Colorado. The resulting data will provide natural resource managers with crucial information on the relationships between elk habitat use and movements, as well as the density and distribution of roads and concomitant use of motorized vehicles. Close collaboration with local management agencies provides options for manipulating accessibility of public lands and observing wildlife responses.
For more information contact Doug Ouren
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Research/research_tasks.asp
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