Awards

Exemplary Ecosystem Initiatives — 2003

• Arizona — ADOT's Comprehensive Approach to Wildlife Protection on State Route 260. This approach involves wildlife passages along SR 260 and area-wide habitat connectivity monitoring. Along a stretch of highway with one of the highest wildlife-vehicle collision rates in the state, ADOT is building 17 sets of bridges under 17 miles of highway and across a canyon. The placement and design of the structures and the length of the adjoining fencing are based on habitat studies, interagency coordination, and "adaptive management." Video clips demonstrate many elk are using the completed passages.
• Nevada — NDOT's Washoe Lake Wetland Mitigation Area. This 335-acre mitigation bank was created collaboratively by State and Federal agencies for regional transportation impacts. Thanks to interpretive wildlife-viewing platforms and an educational program developed by the Nevada Division of Wildlife, the site frequently attracts local school groups and visitors from the general public. The wetland mitigation site has long-term monitoring and established water rights, and it is now part of the Nevada State Parks system.
• New Hampshire — NHDOT's Route 101 Ecological Protection and Enhancement Features. Restoring saltwater marsh, replacing culverts with bridges, acquiring a farm for wildlife habitat linkage, and other measures which are part of a multi-faceted mitigation plan to improve 17.6 miles of NH Route 101 from Epping to Hampton. The plan also includes mitigation and preservation efforts on the 320-acre Pine Road wetland creation site-the largest site of its kind in the State. The Association of State Wetland Managers has visited Pine Road, and local colleges and high schools have used it as an outdoor laboratory.

Questions and feedback should be directed to Marlys Osterhues (marlys.osterhues@dot.gov, 202-366-2052).