ODOT Wildlife Hotspot Study

Pilot Study: ODOT District 10

Prepared by:Melinda Trask

Oregon Department of Transportation, Geo-Environmental Section, Salem ORJohn Lloyd, Francesca Cafferata Coe, Jessica Burton, and Ellen Voth Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc., Portland OR

Wildlife Collision Data in Oregon

Types of Data: Crash Records Dispatch Carcass Records Road Kill Observations Expert Opinion

ODOT's Wildlife Collision Prevention Plan ODOT’s Mission and Addressing

wildlife passage Lack of information Priorities Non-regulated but supported

by FHWA, ODFW, USFWS,

CETAS, nationwide attention

Density:

1-2 animals

2-5 animals

6-10 animals

ODOT Wildlife Collision Hot Spot Study Statewide, analytical approach Purpose: identify high frequency animal-vehicle

collision zones Uses existing carcass pick-up records Pilot study to determine the feasibility of

extending this analysis statewide

USHwy

ODOT District 10 Study Area

Medford

District 10

Portland

Salem

BendEugene

Coos Bay

Klamath Falls

La Grande

Data Preparation Original # Records in D10 = 6,546 (100%) Step 1: Data Processing

Tabular Information Problems (28% reduction) Narrowing Acceptable parameters (additional

21% reduction) Step 2: Linkage to GIS (additional 17%

reduction) GIS Mapping Route ≠ ODOT Highway Number

Final Data set totals 2,184 records (33% of total)

Tabular ExamplesDATE Call

TypeLOCATION UNIT

10191995

RDKILL 5925 WALLACE RD HWY2

10201995

RDKILL HELMICK ROAD / 99 SR ;12600 HELMICK RD

21A

10201995

RDKILL 21.5 228 SR 3A20

10231995

RDKILL 5.9 22 SR 3A26

10231995

RDKILL SHERWOOD @ 99W SR MP 15.2-15.8/ ; 19025 SW PAC HWY

3A52

Tabular ExamplesREMARKS

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AT LOC, THIS IS NEAR THE LINCOLN STORE

RP ADVISES DEER WAS STRUCK IN FRONT OF HIS RES...IS NOT DEAD, NEEDS TO

DEAD DEER ON SIDE OF HWY 2 MI WEST OF SWEET HOME

BETWEEN SHERWOOD AND TIGARD ON WB SHOULDER / DECEASED DEER. APPROX

15 AGO/RP FOUND DEAD DEER ON HWY/PULLED DEER TO SHOULDER OF HWY/ON WB

Tabular Examples

REMARKS2

BE DISPATCHED...RP WILL DISPATCH DEER..INFO TO HWY DEPT FOR PICKUP

30 FEET EAST OF MAIL BOX LISTED ABOVE. WAS ROADSTRUCK

SIDE OF HWY/150 FT FROM A 3-WAY STREET LIGHT/ ..INFO TO INTERSTATE

Analysis Study Area

Medford

District 10

Portland

Salem

BendEugene

Coos Bay

Klamath Falls

La Grande

Results: Nearest Neighbor Analysis Wildlife-vehicle collisions occur

significantly closer together than would be expected by chance

Nearest Neighbor Index = 0.69 Nearest Neighbor Index < 1 Nearest Neighbor distance not included

in confidence interval Does not identify where the clusters

occur

Results: Ripley’s K DistributionRipley's K-Function

10 distance bands (d = 1 mile)

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Scale distance (d) in miles

K-v

alu

e Observed

Lower CI

Upper CI

Results: Nearest Neighbor Hierarchical Clustering

Medford

District 10

Portland

Salem

BendEugene

Coos Bay

Klamath Falls

La Grande

Results: Kernal Density Evaluation

Medford

District 10

Portland

Salem

BendEugene

Coos Bay

Klamath Falls

La Grande

Lessons LearnedData Processing Long term: ODOT improving methods for tying field

data to ODOT highway referencing system Data Analysis The four methods of

analysis offer complimentary information.

The Kernal Density Analysis provides the most informative results for ODOT management decisions.

Recommendations This study did not address explanatory

factors contributing to wildlife vehicle collision hotspots

ODOT Management Decisions

Coordination with Maintenance

Future Work Apply what has been learned to other parts of the

state highway network Prioritize with ODOT staff Identify explanatory factors contributing to wildlife

vehicle collision hotspots(not currently funded)

Wildlife Linkage Areas Workshops led by ODFW GIS maps Combine w/hot spots Evaluate barriers

Road Kill ≠ (always) Linkage Area

XX

The EndThe End