Number: 2004-13
WHEREAS, our national network of highways and roads is the largest single man-made feature on the American landscape and a primary cause of habitat fragmentation across the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, the number of animals struck and killed by automobiles each year (i.e. roadkill) has increased dramatically in recent decades as road networks have expanded, as total miles traveled by cars and trucks has grown, and as many wildlife populations have rebounded; And
WHEREAS, increases in wildlife-automobile collisions are substantially affecting the management of several important game and common species, such as moose, elk, white-tail and mule deer, gray and red fox, black bear; and
WHEREAS, increases in wildlife-automobile collisions have hindered the recovery of a large number of threatened and endangered species — including, for example, Canada lynx, Florida panther, diamondback turtle, speckled rattlesnake, San Joaquin kit fox, and other mammal, reptile, amphibian and bird species of concern; and
WHEREAS, in addition to direct mortality, larger and higher traffic roads have been found to alter the normal movement, migration and dispersal of many wildlife species, and act as habitat barriers that can limit both the range and genetic diversity of local wildlife populations; and
WHEREAS, integrating wildlife and habitat information at the earliest stages of the transportation planning process is critical to minimizing conflicts between roads and wildlife, streamlining environmental reviews, and minimizing project development costs; and
WHEREAS, a variety of other mitigation tools and techniques, such as measures to facilitate wildlife crossings, have been shown to reduce wildlife mortality, increase human safety, reconnect habitats, and reduce property losses in a cost-effective manner,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation assembled in annual meeting, March 11-13, 2004, in St. Louis, Missouri, calls upon federal, state, regional, and municipal agencies to reduce wildlife mortality, enhance human safety, prevent property losses, and increase habitat quality by integrating wildlife and habitat considerations, including wildlife crossings, into all phases of analysis, planning, permitting, design, implementation, and mitigation of transportation plans and projects, including changes i.e. upgrades of existing roads and highway projects using federal transportation funding; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon the U.S. Congress to support transportation officials in this endeavor by providing appropriate resources
and guidance within the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Act of 2004 or whatever act Congress passes to succeed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) of 1998, including funds and mechanisms for collecting and maintaining baseline data, coordinating conservation planning with transportation planning, and identification and assessment of important wildlife corridors and crossing sites; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal and state agencies to develop research policies and priorities to evaluate, mitigate, and prevent wildlife and habitat impacts associated with proposed and future transportation plans and projects, including changes (i.e. upgrades) of existing roads and highway projects using federal transportation funding; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon federal, state, regional, and municipal agencies to educate their staff and the general public on wildlife-transportation issues, and to train key staff in the use of tools and techniques to reduce wildlife mortality and habitat impacts by including functional intersecting, wildlife corridors and passageways in the planning, design and construction process.