Transportation Industry

FHWA promotes simpler, smarter ways to protect wildlife along roads - Public Information and Information Exchange

Public Roads, Nov-Dec, 2003

Earlier this year, FHWA announced the start of a first-of-its-kind Web site that highlights examples of simple, low-cost techniques for protecting wildlife and fish near transportation facilities.

The Web site, "Keeping It Simple: Easy Ways to Help Wildlife Along Roads," includes more than 100 success stories from all 50 States. The activities featured on the site range from installing nesting boxes to modifying maintenance schedules. Users can search the site by State or by one of four categories: Along Roads, On or Near Bridges, On or Along Waterways, and On Wetlands and Uplands.

Crashes between motor vehicles and animals account for a large percentage of the total crashes in many areas, and the number continues to rise. More than 200 motorists die each year in animal-vehicle collisions, and thousands more are injured, according to FHWA statistics. Many of the best practices featured on the site not only help protect wildlife, but they also improve highway safety for motorists nationwide.

Visit the "Keeping It Simple" Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlifeprotection.>