1. Aerial Photos: Aerial photos are available in various scales and image formats such as black and white, color, color infrared, and ortho-photos. These can be used to identify vegetation patterns and types, housing and human developments, water bodies, aspect and terrain and many other important details. On quality images such as high resolution color infrared, game trails and paths may be evident.

2. Land Ownership Maps: Adjacent land use management is critical to the success of wildlife crossings. Most public lands include wildlife habitat protection as one of their mandates or guiding principles. For this reason, identifying wildlife habitat linkages is much easier when public lands are involved. One of the primary benefits of wildlife habitat linkages is to minimize fragmentation of wildlife habitat on public lands. These may be county lands used for “open space,” state wildlife management or natural resource lands, or a variety of lands managed by the Federal government. In some situations, identifying key parcels of private land may also be an important step in protecting wildlife linkages.

3. Vegetation Maps: Vegetation maps that include general vegetation types such as conifer or hardwoods, riparian or upland, marshes or grassland provide sufficient detail for wildlife habitat connectivity planning. The National Vegetation Land Classification is suitable for most small-scale work, such as statewide, regional, or highway corridor assessments. Most public land agencies have their own vegetation maps, which may provide more accurate and current information.

4. Topographic Maps: Topographic maps provide important information such as slopes, draws, ridges, saddles, extremely steep lands, flats, and can often be used to help identify wildlife corridors. Riparian habitats are usually discernable including lakes, ponds, marshes, bogs, arroyos, swamps, streams, and rivers. Even on relatively flat landscapes, topographic maps often provide important clues on where wildlife may interface with highways. Roads, highways and other human developments are also identified on most topographic maps.

5. Wildlife Habitat or Range Maps: Maps may vary in quality from “unavailable” to exceptionally accurate. They can always be augmented with information provided by biologists, foresters, landowners, and others that live or work in the area. Wildlife habitat and range information can come from a variety of agency and non-agency sources. Agency sources include state wildlife agencies, state heritage programs, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and a variety of land management agencies. Non-agency sources include groups like The Nature Conservancy, Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

6. Roadkill Information: This information is available from many State DOTs providing the location and number of collisions, and often the species, sex, and age of wildlife involved. Romin and Bissonette (1996) recommend factoring in a 16-50% increase when estimating animalvehicle collision levels from accident reports, which are often not filed if injuries or property damage is minor.

Initiating a Connectivity Plan

Lead agencies can also utilize a new policy in the Transportation Bill, SAFETEA-LU, to catalyze their efforts. Planning provisions in SAFETEA-LU now require the preparation of 20+ year plans to include consultation with state, tribal, and local agencies responsible for land use management, natural resources, and environmental protection. This could provide a good opportunity to start a connectivity plan in your state. Additionally, each state wildlife agency now has a State Wildlife Action Plan that should be utilized as much as possible. See Teaming with Wildlife for more information on these wildlife plans. Plans are only worthwhile if you implement them.