Posts Tagged ‘Oracle Road wildlife crossings’
Oracle Road wildlife crossings featured on FOX10 Drone Zone segment
The Oracle Road wildlife crossings were recently featured on TV station FOX10’s Drone Zone segment in Phoenix. Check out this 3+ minute segment to see some amazing drone footage of both the Oracle Road wildlife underpass and overpass, along with a great interview of our partner Jeff Gagnon with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (click on the image/link below to access the full TV segment).
The latest numbers from our wildlife camera program
Thanks to all of our supporters and volunteers for another year of successful wildlife camera monitoring in the Tucson Mountains and Oro Valley study areas! See an overview of our Tucson Mountain camera project results HERE and our Oro Valley camera project results HERE.
We have been monitoring wildlife with wildlife cameras in the northern portion of the Tucson Mountains and Avra Valley for four years. To date we’ve seen over 30 species across 23 camera sites, data which helps inform our I-11 work and knowledge about the Tucson-Tortolita Mountain Wildlife Linkage. Javelina have been photographed most frequently, and it is good to see these native seed dispersers out and about! Other notable results in the last year include more badgers, and bobcats with kittens in tow.
In Oro Valley, we have been monitoring east and west of the Oracle Road wildlife bridge and underpass for a total of seven years! We now have excellent comparative data pre- and post- construction of the crossings that were built in May 2016. With 62 species across 49 camera sites (and nearly 78,000 photos!), we are seeing lots of cottontails and quail that are plentiful prey for coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes. We’ve seen white-nose coati and bighorn, and our resident female mountain lion has appeared again this year several times just west of the wildlife bridge.
We will post more detailed results as we finalize project reports and dive into the fun and useful information these cameras have in store!
Mule Deer Constellations, a new article in the Desert Leaf
This mule deer was captured by our STITZER wildlife camera, monitored by volunteers Lisa Caprina and Doug Vollgraff.
Want to learn lots of interesting facts about the Sonoran Desert’s mule deer? Check out CSDP Conservation Science Director Jessica Moreno’s latest column in the Desert Leaf magazine. In this article, titled “Mule Deer Constellations,” Jessica follows the journey of one mule deer that was collared by the Arizona Game and Fish Department as part of the larger monitoring study of the Oracle Road wildlife crossings. Check out the article HERE to learn more about where this mule deer travels!
The full issue of the Desert Leaf can be found HERE.
The latest and greatest monitoring results from the Oracle Road wildlife crossings
In March 2019, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) released their latest monitoring results from the Oracle Road wildlife crossings. AGFD typically releases monitoring results twice a year so we should have an updated monitoring report sometime this fall.
March 2019 AGFD Monitoring Report on the Oracle Road wildlife crossings
Two summary graphs from the report are highlighted below:
This graph shows the total mule deer crossings at both the Oracle Road underpass and bridge. Mule deer started using the bridge almost immediately after construction finished and have been used it steadily ever since (blue line). More recently, mule deer have become more acclimated to using the underpass, with increasing numbers successfully crossing all the way through the underpass since Winter 2018. It is well established that some wildlife species will use wildlife crossings right away with little acclimation while others may take years before they become acclimated and then will start using the crossing regularly.
This graph shows the total crossings by all wildlife species at both the Oracle Road underpass and bridge. Wildlife started using both crossings very soon after construction completed and have been using them steadily ever since. This new connectivity across Oracle Road increases the health of our local wildlife populations by allowing them to reach new home ranges and find mates (which then supports healthy genetic diversity) and also increases the safety of Oracle Road itself with a reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions. Miles of wildlife fencing was also installed as part of this project – the fencing directs wildlife to the crossings themselves and was designed using the best available science to accommodate a wide range of wildlife species.
Want to learn more about the Oracle Road wildlife crossings, why they are located where they are, how wildlife know to use them, how they were funded, and much more? Our website includes:
- An Overview of the Oracle Road wildlife crossings,
- A long list of Frequently Asked Questions,
- A look at The Big Picture, including existing plans to make sure land on both sides of the crossings stays protected as open space,
- A summary of Monitoring Results (which we will be updating soon!)
CSDP and the Oracle Road wildlife crossings featured on national news!
On Saturday, April 27, a new show on NBC, “1st Look,” aired a segment after Saturday Night Live about the Coalition and our work on the Oracle Road wildlife crossings. Coalition Conservation Science Director Jessica Moreno spent a long day in the field with the crew and host of the show, Johnny Bananas, in mid-March showing them the Oracle Road wildlife crossings, looking for a collared mule deer, tracking down a tortoise outfitted with a radio telemetry device, showing off one of our wildlife cameras, and more. Scientists from Arizona Game and Fish Department joined us for part of the day, along with Coalition volunteer and superstar Kathie Schroeder and her hawk Sueño. You can view the full 6-minute segment HERE or by clicking on the image below.
And a huge thank you to all our community science volunteers and supporters that have been instrumental to this project and volunteer program!
New interactive case study about the Oracle Road wildlife crossings
A new interactive case study about the Oracle Road wildlife crossings was just launched through the work of the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative. This case study features both a 2-page summary and an interactive map with more detailed information. You can check out the case study at https://arcg.is/09arn8 or look at it in the box below. [In the box below, click on the blue left and right arrows at the bottom to access the different sections of the case study. Within each section, click on the blue “i” in the top right corner to read the narrative about each section.] And thank you for all your support for this innovative project!
New Game and Fish monitoring report documents over 4,400 animals using Oracle Road wildlife crossings in first 2 years
The Arizona Game and Fish Department recently released their latest monitoring report on the Oracle Road wildlife bridge and underpass. Game and Fish is in the middle of four years of post-construction monitoring of these wildlife crossings. According to the report, as of June 2018, 2,477 animals have used the wildlife bridge and 1,941 animals have used the underpass. The most common animals to use the bridge are mule deer, whereas the underpass sees a lot of javelina and coyote. One interesting finding is that with time, more mule deer are using the underpass as they become acclimated to it. Other notable species seen in smaller numbers include bobcats, white-nosed coati, raccoons, and skunks.
Game and Fish also continues to monitor a large group of desert tortoises on either side of the crossings with radio-telemetry devices attached to the tortoises’ shells. While none of these tortoises have been documented using the crossings yet, we are hopeful that eventually they will.
Check out some new photos taken on the crossings from Game and Fish below. You can also view the full monitoring report here.
Oracle Road Highway Cleanup
Give back to our community by joining the Coalition for our next highway cleanup along Oracle Road!
Our adopted one-mile stretch of road includes the new Oracle Road wildlife underpass. This is a fun way to meet fellow like-minded conservationists, get some exercise, and beautify one of our roadways, all with the spectacular backdrop of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
When: Saturday, April 14, 2018
Time: 8am- 10:30am
Where: Contact Sarah.Whelan@sonorandesert.org for a map to the meeting location.
What to wear/bring: Sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, sun hat, and a water bottle. We’ll provide snacks safety vests, gloves, and beverages!
R.S.V.P. to Whelan by email at Sarah.Whelan@sonorandesert.org or call 520-338-9925.
We hope to see you there!
Leading the next generation out into the field!
Manzanita students view the Oracle Road wildlife bridge with binoculars on loan from the Tucson Audubon Society. Photo credit: Jessica Moreno.
by Jessica Moreno
It was a clear, crisp day on March 6, and the freshly brewed coffee was almost as invigorating as the arrival of several school bus-loads of fourth graders and parents from Manzanita Elementary. Over 100 curious minds boiled out into the lower parking lot of the Santa Catalina Catholic Church on Oracle Road just south of the wildlife bridge. “Critter Cam Day” had arrived.
Coalition volunteers were already stationed around the seven activity tents laid out around the parking lot, as kids split into organized groups led by teachers Charlotte Ackerman and Jennifer DeBenedetti of the Manzanita Robotics Club. These students have been sorting and studying the Coalition’s wildlife camera photos as part of a new 4-week curriculum developed by Ackerman and DeBenedetti in partnership with CSDP. Today, they would have a field day.
Thanks to the Tucson Audubon Society, Manzanita students had access to spotting scopes for a better view of the Oracle Road wildlife bridge. Photo credit: Jessica Moreno.
It may not be surprising that the activities held their rapt attention and their colorful field guides, made especially for this day, were quick to be filled. Finely timed rotating activities included a spotting scope station to view the wildlife bridge and mapping points of interest. Mark Hart with Arizona Game and Fish Department taught wildlife tracks and track tracing skills. Wildlife rehabilitator and CSDP volunteer Kathie Schroeder and her outreach hawk Sueño shared the adaptations of Harris’s hawks and other birds of prey. Mr. Packrat brought a guest too – and shared the desert adaptions of native packrats. Stations also included games and activities to teach camouflage techniques and the importance of pheromones and scents. And of course, the day would not be complete without a guided nature walk to check a wildlife camera!
Throughout the morning, students and parents were absorbing the skills and knowledge of naturalists and scientists and giving back a thirst for more. As we met around the leftover coffee and homemade granola bars after the day was done, teachers, volunteers, and guest contributors all agreed that very few improvements could be made to this positive and inspiring day. The success of this event is something we hope to repeat, and expand next year. Eventually, we hope this will be a curriculum that can be packaged and adopted by other TUSD schools. Not unlike the critters now crossing new bridges, these students are poised to bridge the divide between knowing – and doing.
Coalition Desert Monitors Jeff Stensrud and Carl Boswell lead students out into the field to see their critter cameras in action! Photo credit: Jessica Moreno.
Read the latest story about Critter Cam Day in the Oro Valley Explorer, here.
Check out this fantastic video about Critter Cam Day produced by the Catalina Foothills School District:
Emerging issues with the Oracle Road wildlife crossings create opportunities for stronger community connections.
by Jessica Moreno
Mesh wildlife fencing along Oracle Road funnels animals to the wildlife crossings. Photo credit: Jessica Moreno.
Once a wildlife crossing is built, the project still isn’t done. CSDP has remained actively involved with the wildlife bridge and underpass project on Oracle Road since its completion, helping to install educational signage, planning re-vegetation and erosion control, engaging on emerging issues like motorized use and other encroachments, and, of course, monitoring changes in local wildlife. For little over a year, we have also been focusing on building a stronger connection with the local Rancho Vistoso HOA and with the roughly 60 homeowners living near the crossings. Javelina, coyotes, desert tortoise, and a myriad of smaller wildlife have been slipping through gaps in the wildlife-funnel fencing, resulting in a two-mile plume of roadkill extending south of the underpass on Oracle Road. These open gaps are the cul-de-sacs and drainage areas within the underpass’s adjacent HOA neighborhood, where animals can access the street and bypass the wildlife underpass. While the idea of wildlife fencing in the neighborhood is understandably undesirable for most homeowners, we have been slowly coming together to find solutions and a compromise that works for all.
With some exceptions (there are always a few), wildlife are excellent neighbors. Quiet, shy except around the bird feeder, we mostly don’t even see them unless we make an effort to look. Yet they provide us with spontaneous joy when do catch a glimpse. The therapeutic hum of tiny wings at the feeder during a spring rain and the bright-eyed peaceful stare of a deer in the chill morning can make time stand still. Wildlife watching from our yards and community areas is part of why many of us choose to live here. According to a 2011 report conducted by the Tucson Audubon Society, in Pima County alone wildlife watching supported more than 2,700 jobs, and directly produced $19.8 million in local and state tax revenue from over $179 million in wildlife watching related spending. In one year! It’s nice to know that the pollinator plants and binoculars I bought contribute to a thriving economy, but I’m just as happy to see the tracks of the local bobcat when I go for stroll in the evening and to add another hummingbird to my yard list.
It is also good to know that our wildlife crossings on Oracle Road are working wonderfully, with mule deer, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, and more using them regularly. That investment has truly paid for itself, by supporting local wildlife watching opportunities and by reducing the taxpayer and personal costs of wildlife-vehicle collisions. There have been over 2,900 animal crossings on the bridge and underpass recorded to date, and – where the wildlife funnel-fencing is complete – roadkill is down to near zero. After the surprise of tortoises and bighorn sheep last season, one of the local homeowners photographed a beautiful badger (local nighttime rodent control, at your service) near their home west of the wildlife underpass in early February. We now have evidence of badgers on both sides of the wildlife crossings, and neighbors are sharing their sightings and their stories.
Wildlife fencing along Oracle Road helps to guide animals to the crossings. Photo credit: Jessica Moreno.
Here where people and nature encroach upon each other, finding balance can be challenging. The peaceful gaze of a deer tells me that the return in our investment, and the reward, is well worth some compromise. As wildlife adapt to their changing landscape, we can continue to enjoy their presence and strive to be a community of good neighbors in return. By bringing the community together as part of the process, we all share in that success.
