Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation’s

Teton County Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Database Summary Report 2016/2017

Published October 2017 covering May 2016 - April 2017

Prepared by:Paul Hood, Alyson Courtemanch, and Jon Mobeck

Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation - Nature Mapping Jackson Hole programPO Box 8042, Jackson, WY 83002 | jhwildlife.org

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Summary

2016-2017DataUpdate

Wildlife-vehiclecollisions(WVC)aremostprevalentduringthewintermonths(December–February),andgenerallyhighestduringparticularlyseverewinters.Inpastyears,JacksonHoleWildlifeFoundation(JHWF)hasproducedanannualWVCsynthesisreportbasedonthecalendaryear.However,inordertomoreaccuratelycapturetheincreaseinWVCsduringthewintermonths,wewillnowproduceanannualreportthatcoversthetimeperiodofMay1–April30(e.g.May1,2016–April30,2017=2016-2017).ThiswillbeabetterrepresentationoftheseasonaltrendsassociatedwithWVCsinTetonCounty,WY.

TheJHWFWVCdatabaseincorporatesWVCobservationscollectedbymultiplesources,includingWyomingDepartmentofTransportation(WYDOT),WyomingGame&FishDepartment(WGFD),andJHWFNatureMappingcitizenscientists.Therewere362WVCsaddedtothedatabasewiththe2016-2017update(Table2).Dataforthe2016-2017updatewasacquiredfromthefollowingdatasources:WyomingDepartmentofTransportation-CarcassData(n=147),WyomingDepartmentofTransportation–CrashData(n=88),WyomingGame&FishWildlifeObservationSystem(n=46)andJHWFNatureMappingJacksonHole(n=81)foratotalof362WVCobservations.Intotal,theWVCdatabase(1990-2017)contains4,916WVCrecords,representing45species.Muledeer,elk,andmoosearethemostprominentspeciesinvolvedinWVCs(Table5).

Methods

TheJHWFWVCdatabaseisupdatedannuallyusinganautomatedprocess.Thisprocessstoresallwildlife-vehiclecollisionsinaSQLdatabasewheretheycanbeaccessedinArcMap,viaanSDEconnection,andinProgramR,viaaremotedatabaseconnection.TheSQLdatabaseallowsallrawdatatobestoredinoneplace.Then,withsavedqueries,thedataareformattedandcombinedintoonelargedatabase.ThisdatabaseisthenrunthroughaniterativeloopinRthateliminatesduplicatesbasedondistance(<0.25mi)fromotherobservationsenteredonthesamedayofthesamespecies.AdditionalobservationsareeasilyaddedtotheSQLdatabaseandqueriedtoeliminateduplicates.

WYDOTmaintainsspatialdatasetsforallmajortravelroutesinWyoming.Thesespatialdatasetsuselinear-referencedsystem(LRS)geometrythatcontainrouteandmeasureattributes.BeforerawWVCdataarequeriedinaSQLdatabase,afieldlocatingeachobservationtothenearestLRSWYDOTrouteisaddedandpopulatedwithavalueusingthe“LocateFeatureAlongRoute”toolinArcMap.Thisvalueisusedtowhenidentifyingduplicates.WhenduplicatesareidentifiedintheRscript,optimalobservationsareselectedbasedonthedatasource(Table1).

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Table1.RankingofthedatasourcesincludedintheJHWFWildlife-VehicleCollisionDatabase(observationswithalowersourcerankareselectedoverahighersourcerank).

DataSource SourceRankJHWF_NATURE_MAPPING_2010_2012 1JHWF_NATURE_MAPPING_2013 1JHWF_NATURE_MAPPING_2014 1JHWF_NATURE_MAPPING_2015 1tblJHWF_NATURE_MAPPING_2016_2017 1JHWF_ROADKILLHOTLINE_2012 2WGFD_WOS_2014 2WGFD_WOS_2015 2WGFD_WOS_2016_2017 2WYDOT_TETON_CRASH_2013 3WYDOT_TETON_CRASH_1994_2012 3WYDOT_TETON_CRASH_2014 3WYDOT_TETON_CRASH_2015 3WYDOT_TETON_CRASH_2016_2017 3WYDOT_TETON_CARCASS_2013 4WYDOT_TETON_CARCASS_2006_2012 4WYDOT_TETON_CARCASS_1999_2005 4WYDOT_TETON_CARCASS_2014 4WYDOT_TETON_CARCASS_2015 4WYDOT_TETON_CARCASS_2016_2017 4JHWF_1990_2002 5JHWF_2003_2009 5WGFD_WOS_1976_2012 6WGFD_WOS_2013 6

Results

Wildlife-vehiclecollisiontrendsovertime

Anadditional362WVCrecordswereincorporatedintothedatabasefortheperiodfromMay1,2016–April30,2017.ThisbringsthetotalnumberofrecordedWVCsfrom1990-2017to4,916(Table2).ThenumberofWVCsin2016-2017wasthesecondhighestannualnumber,after372WVCsrecordedfor2010-2011.Thewintersofboth2016-2017and2010-2011wereexceptionallysevereinregardstosnowpack,whichlikelyinfluencedthenumberofungulates(especiallymuledeer)thatwereconcentratedinthevalleyincloseproximitytoroads.FromMay1,2016–April30,2017,267muledeer,48elk,18moose,4white-taileddeer,and4bighornsheepWVCswererecorded(Table5).In

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addition,21WVCsofotherspecieswererecorded,includingblackbear,coyote,porcupine,raccoon,redfox,andothers(Table5).Forsomespecies,thenumberofWVCsmaybelargeenoughtoimpactpopulations.Forexample,overthepast7years,atleast1,328muledeerhavebeenkilledbyWVCs(Table5).Overthesametimeperiod,123moosehavebeenkilledbyWVCs(Table5).Inthecaseofmoose,theJacksonMooseHerdisestimatedtonumberapproximately400individuals(AlysonCourtemanch,WyomingGame&FishDepartment,pers.comm.).Wildlife-vehiclecollisionsarecontributingarelativelyhighsourceofmortalityforbothoftheseungulatespeciesinTetonCounty.

Three-yearaveragesofWVCsfrom1990-2017indicateanincreasingtrendovertime(Figure1),eventhoughthetotalnumberofWVCscanfluctuatefromyeartoyeardependingonweatherconditionsandotherfactors(Figure2).MostWVCsoccurduringthewintermonthsfromDecember–Marchwhenungulatesareconcentratedonlowelevationwinterrangesclosetoroads,however,thereisalsoaninterestinguptickinWVCsduringJuneandJuly(Figure3).Thereasonforthisincreaseduringthesummermonthsiscurrentlyunknown,butitissomethingthatJHWFwouldliketoinvestigatefurther.

Wildlife-vehiclecollisionshaveincreasedduringthepast5yearsonSouthHighway89(Figure4).MostoftheseWVCsaremuledeer,althoughelkWVCshavebeenincreasingonthishighwayaswell.ThenumberofWVCshasalsosteadilyincreasedonHighway22(includingTetonPass)from2009-2017(Figure3).Wildlife-vehiclecollisionsonBroadway/Highway89northoftowntotheGTNPboundaryandonHighway390havestayedrelativelyflatfrom2009-2017(Figure4).

ThenumberofmuledeerWVCswasveryhighinwinters2010-2011and2016-2017,andmostlyoccurredonUSHighway89,andtoarelativelylesserextentonHighway22(Figure5).Thisislikelyduetoseverewinterconditionsconcentratingmuledeerclosetoroadsandsubdivisionsontheircrucialwinterranges.Also,muledeerWVCswererelativelyhighduringotheryearswhenwinterconditionsweremilder,indicatingotherfactorsdrivinganoverallincreaseinWVCsbesideswinterconditions(Figure5).MooseWVCshavedecreasedfrom2010-2017onHighway390,fromahighof12moosekilledin2010-2011to2moosekilledin2016-2017(Figure6).MooseWVCsonHighway22(includingTetonPass)havefluctuatedquiteabit,buthavebeenfrom5to8mooseinthelast4years(Figure6).ElkWVCsshowedagenerallydecreasingtrendfrom2010-2015,buthaveincreasedoverthepast2years(Figure7).

HotspotMaps

HotspotswereidentifiedusingtheKernelDensitytoolinArcMap10.3.1(Figures8,9,10,11).ThecolorsrepresenttheprobabilitydensityofWVCsoccurringbasedonthesearchradius.Tworasterlayerswerecreatedforeachanalysis(Allspecies,Moose,Deer,Elk).Thecoarseresolutionlayer,whichappearssmootherbygeneralizinghotspots,identifiessearchesforWVCswithin300mofeach50mpixel(Figures8-11).ThefinerresolutionlayeridentifiesWVCswith100mofeach50mpixelresultinginamoreaccuratehotspotdepiction.

LimitationsandCaveatsoftheData

• NorecordsincludedwithinGTNPatpark’srequest.TheparkmaintainsitsownWVCdatabase.• Mixofdatacollectedindifferentwayswithdifferentaccuraciesdependingonthesource.

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• Largeefforttoremovepotentialduplicatesamongdifferentsources.• Date/timeusuallydoesnotrecordactualtimeofdeath,butratherwhenthedeadanimalwas

observed(oftenadayortwolater).• Heavilybiasedbyungulates,especiallymuledeer.ThesearetheanimalsthatWYDOTpicksup

andthatcausecrasheslargeenoughtocallpolice.Alsoeasiertoobservebycitizenscientists.• ThisdatabaseislikelyasignificantunderestimateofroadkilloccurrencesinTetonCounty,even

forungulates.Manyroadkilleventsgounreportedoranimalsarehitanddieoutofsightfromroads.

• Probablybiasedbylargerroads(moreobservers).• Biasedbyyear;WYDOThasbeencollectingdatasince1990,butothergroupsstartedlater.

WYDOThasalsoimprovedtheirdocumentationinrecentyears.• Roadkillnumbersareinfluencedbywinterconditions,withhighnumbersoccurringduring

moreseverewinterswhenungulatesareconcentratedclosetoroads.

SuggestedCitation

JacksonHoleWildlifeFoundation,Jackson,WY,Wildlife-VehicleCollisionDatabase,10/16/2017

Acknowledgements

FundingfromTetonConservationDistrictandMegandBertRaynesWildlifeFund.Dataacquisitionandworkflowdevelopment:JacksonHoleWildlifeFoundation(PaulHood),UniversityofWyoming(ShannonAlbeke)andTetonScienceSchools(MorganGrahamandChaunceySmith).Datacontributions:WyomingDepartmentofTransportation,JacksonHoleWildlifeFoundation’sNatureMappingJacksonHoleprogram,andWyomingGame&FishDepartment.

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Table2.Wildlife-vehiclecollisionsbyyear Table3.Wildlife-vehiclecollisionsbymonth.(1990-2017).

Month2016-2017

AllYears(1990-2017)

January 47 707

February 32 467

March 32 429

April 24 360

May 21 301

June 40 381

July 32 335

August 23 254

September 23 248

October 25 359

November 22 391

December 41 684

Total 362 4916

Year Count1990 291990-1991 681991-1992 1071992-1993 771993-1994 611994-1995 1231995-1996 651996-1997 2381997-1998 1021998-1999 1311999-2000 1562000-2001 1702001-2002 1682002-2003 1322003-2004 2542004-2005 1462005-2006 2712006-2007 1962007-2008 2202008-2009 1782009-2010 1372010-2011 3722011-2012 2072012-2013 1702013-2014 2132014-2015 2772015-2016 2862016-2017 362Total 4916

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Table4.Wildlife-vehiclecollisionsforallyearsbyroadname(2010-2017).

RoadName2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017 Total

BATCHPLANTRD 2 1 3BOYLESHILLRD 1 1BUFFALOVALLEYRD 1 2 3CASHEST 1 1DELONEYAVE 1 1EBROADWAYAVE 1 1FALLCREEKRD 3 1 2 2 2 1 5 16FISHCREEKRD 12 1 6 19GAMECREEKRD 1 1 2HENRY'SRD 2 1 1 4HIDDENRANCHLN 1 1HIGHSCHOOLRD 1 1JACKSONAVE 1 1KELLYAVE 1 1MALLARDRD 1 1NATIONALELKREFUGE 1 1 2PARKLOOPRD 6 2 8PARKRANCHRDSOFORK 1 1REDMONDST 1 1SKIHILLRD 1 2 1 4SNOWKINGAVE 1 1 2SOUTHPARKLOOP 1 1 2SPRINGGULCHRD 1 1 3 6 2 2 15UPPERCACHECREEKDR 1 1US189 1 1US189/US191:HobackJctSEtocountyline 28 18 14 16 18 18 27 139US189/US191/US26/US89:HobackJcttoJacksonY 139 58 38 57 94 94 149 629US191/US26/US89:JacksonYtoGTNP 55 39 31 27 37 31 33 253US26/US287:GTNPNEboundaryEtocountyline 10 5 7 1 15 17 10 65US26/US89:HobackJctSWtocountyline 40 22 21 34 34 38 42 231VIRGINIANLN 1 1WY22 54 36 41 48 51 65 70 365WY390 18 20 14 21 12 10 16 111Total 372 207 170 213 277 286 362 1887

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Table5.Speciescountinthewildlife-vehiclecollisiondatabase(2010-2017).

Species2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017 Total

AmericanMarten 1 1 2AmericanMink 1 1AmericanRobin 1 1 2Barrow’sGoldeneye 1 1BighornSheep 4 4Bison 1 1BlackBear 1 1 1 2 5BlackRosy-Finch 1 1Black-billedMagpie 1 1 2BorealToad 1 1Brewer’sBlackbird 1 1CommonGartersnake 2 2CommonRaven 1 1 2Coyote 1 1 1 3 2 8DeerMouse 1 1Elk 59 37 36 46 29 25 48 280GrayWolf 1 1 2GreatHornedOwl 1 1 1 4 7GrizzlyBear 1 1 2LeastChipmunk 2 2Long-tailedWeasel 1 1Moose 33 14 18 15 13 12 18 123MountainBluebird 1 1MountainLion 1 1MuleDeer 248 138 99 134 217 225 267 1328NorthAmericanPorcupine 1 4 5 4 2 4 4 24NorthernGoshawk 1 1NorthernRaccoon 4 5 3 4 6 4 1 27Pronghorn 1 1 2RedFox 2 1 1 1 1 2 8RedSquirrel 2 1 3Rough-leggedHawk 1 1RuffedGrouse 1 1Short-tailedWeasel(Ermine) 3 3SnowshoeHare 1 1StripedSkunk 1 4 6 11WanderingGartersnake 1 1

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Weasel 1 1WesternTanager 1 1White-tailedDeer 5 2 2 2 1 4 16Wilson’sWarbler 1 1YellowWarbler 2 2Yellow-belliedMarmot 1 1 2GrandTotal 372 207 170 213 277 286 362 1887

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Figure1.Three-yearaveragesandstandarderrorsofwildlife-vehiclecollisionsinTetonCounty,WY(1990-2017)

Figure2.Totalannualwildlife-vehiclecollisionsbyyearinTetonCounty,WY(annualequalsMay1-April30;1990-2017).

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Figure3.Meansandstandarderrorsofwildlife-vehiclecollisionsbymonth(2010-2017).

Figure4.AnnualwildlifevehiclecollisionsonSouth89,Broadway/North89,WY22,andWY390(yearequalsMay1-April30;2010-2017).

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Figure5.Annualmuledeer-vehiclecollisionsonUS89(northandsouth),WY22,andWY390(annualequalsMay1-April30;2010-2017).

Figure6.Annualmoose-vehiclecollisionsonUS89(northandsouth),WY22,andWY390(annualequalsMay1-April30;2010-2017).

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Figure7.Annualelk-vehiclecollisionsonUS89(northandsouth),WY22,andWY390(annualequalsMay1-April30;2010-2017).

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Figure8.HotspotmapshowingareasofhighestWVCsforallspecies(red)andlowest(blue)inTetonCounty,WY.

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Figure9.HotspotmapshowingareasofhighestWVCsfordeer(red)andlowest(blue)inTetonCounty,WY.

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Figure10.HotspotmapshowingareasofhighestWVCsformoose(red)andlowest(blue)inTetonCounty,WY.

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Figure11.HotspotmapshowingareasofhighestWVCsforelk(red)andlowest(blue)inTetonCounty,WY.