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Wildlife overpasses planned at Snoqualmie Pass
Seattle Times ^ | 3-25-12

Posted on 03/25/2012 5:21:33 PM PDT by SJackson

YAKIMA, Wash. — There was no way the agencies monitoring wildlife along the Interstate 90 corridor could supply the manpower needed for a yearlong survey of animals along the highway, so they turned to you.

Well, you and anyone else who drives the stretch of I-90 connecting Eastern and Western Washington. That was the genesis of the I-90 Wildlife Watch, a multi-agency effort that enlisted public volunteers -- commuters -- to document wildlife sightings.

"That information is really hard to collect," said Paula MacKay, an Ellensburg-based research associate with Western Transportation Institute. "You have to be in the right place at the right time."

Tapping the occupants of the 28,000 vehicles that pass over the Snoqualmie Pass corridor each day for help greatly increases the odds that someone will be in that right place, she said. The Western Transportation Institute, a department of Montana State University, launched the project in November 2010 with the nonprofit I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition. The goal is to help the state Department of Transportation better understand the area's wildlife as it plans construction of 24 wildlife crossings over and under I-90 between Easton and Hyak as part of a highway expansion over the next several years. The crossing are intended to both reduce the number of animals killed by vehicles and maintain gene diversity of species that might otherwise stay on one side of the highway

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: i90; overpasses; snoqualmie; snoqualmiepass; wa; washington; wildlife
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1 posted on 03/25/2012 5:21:40 PM PDT by SJackson
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To: SJackson

Simply make a law requiring all Elk, Deer and Bear to cross on the Northernmost bridge and all other varmints to cross at the Southernmost bridge. Cats can cross at either location. What’s the big deal? Utopia is just a couple of laws away.


2 posted on 03/25/2012 5:33:49 PM PDT by gorush (History repeats itself because human nature is static)
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To: SJackson

How absurd. The state is broke.

If they are going to charge drivers tolls for every new bride WA builds, I think the animals need to cough up something for these.


3 posted on 03/25/2012 5:35:02 PM PDT by NavyCanDo
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To: SJackson

actually a good idea. hitting a bear or elk at 60mph is no fun, and fatal on a bike.


4 posted on 03/25/2012 5:35:37 PM PDT by RitchieAprile
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To: Iowa Granny; Ladysmith; Diana in Wisconsin; JLO; sergeantdave; damncat; phantomworker; joesnuffy; ..
If you’d like to be on or off this Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

Cheaper than light rail from LA to SF I'm sure. Maybe it's shovel ready.

5 posted on 03/25/2012 5:38:29 PM PDT by SJackson (I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes)
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To: SJackson

There are already overpasses over I-90. If the animals want to use them, be my guest. Do they think they are going to use them in higher numbers if they are landscape?


6 posted on 03/25/2012 5:40:03 PM PDT by NavyCanDo
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To: NavyCanDo; Just Lori; Libertina; Lexinom; horatio; freebird5850; Horatio Gates; Ramius; ...
WA Ping

"How absurd. The state is broke."

In the eyes of a democrat run legislature, there is no such thing as broke as long as there are productive citizens to take money from.

7 posted on 03/25/2012 6:00:53 PM PDT by Baynative (Please check this out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFIcZkEzc8I)
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To: SJackson

I wonder if the overpasses will be designed to accommodate OWS wildlife?


8 posted on 03/25/2012 6:29:45 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (There's a pill for just about everything ... except stupid!)
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To: gorush

Just goes to prove that you can’t improve on stupid ... the government has perfected it!


9 posted on 03/25/2012 6:31:29 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (There's a pill for just about everything ... except stupid!)
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To: SJackson

“Gene diversity” amongst deer, elk, puma, and bear living on either side of that road?

Well, gag me with a cliche!

The concept is pure agency pseudo-scientific bafflegab, a poor substitute for pure science.

De-fund ‘em!


10 posted on 03/25/2012 6:36:55 PM PDT by GladesGuru (In a society predicated upon freedom, it is necessary to examine principles."...the public interest)
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To: Baynative

It’s the stupidest thing in the world because half that road is built on concrete pillars anyways!

Ain’t exactly like Kansas up there...


11 posted on 03/25/2012 6:41:34 PM PDT by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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To: SJackson

How could this possibly work? The predators will simply hang out near the overpass, waiting for their prey to cross over, and then pounce. Easy pickin’s! On a two dimensional plane, there are countless ways to escape. But a bridge is essentially one dimensional, so it’s like cows in a chute, being loaded onto a cattle truck. Nowhere to run.


12 posted on 03/25/2012 7:03:30 PM PDT by giotto
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To: SJackson

Do they really think that animals are going to travel out of their way to go across a bridge?


13 posted on 03/25/2012 8:36:37 PM PDT by Bellflower (The LORD is Holy, separated from all sin, perfect, righteous, high and lifted up.)
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To: djf

Now I lives in Kansas and I resemble that remark! You know, they have a sign up just 1/2 mile from my place, says deer crossing, but the dern deer can’t seem to read or something as they keep crossing at my place and get hit right and left. I don’t think it would help much iffing ( I think the spelling is right, you double the consonant and add the ing) they built a bridge across the highway at that there sign. But, I’m just an ignorant hayseed. Maybe if the sign were more graphic, like a splatted deer, the silly things would learn where to cross the highway.


14 posted on 03/25/2012 8:43:45 PM PDT by cotton
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To: cotton

Sorry! Wasn’t picking on Kansoids!
Or are they Kansians?

At least you guys are smart enough to not waste good money on stupid bridges!


15 posted on 03/25/2012 9:34:32 PM PDT by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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To: SJackson


“The crossings are intended.....to maintain gene diversity of species that might otherwise stay on one side of the highway.”

Now the Democratic Party is trying to facilitate sexual promiscuity among animals, too!

This gives a whole new meaning to the riddle, “Why did the cougar cross the road?”


16 posted on 03/25/2012 11:32:42 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: gorush; SJackson
WIth all the people out of work, why can they get thye unemployed to carry them across the road?


17 posted on 03/25/2012 11:35:39 PM PDT by Daffynition (On Andrew Breitbart: In his honor, I'll fight harder...He'll be back and he'll be millions.)
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To: SJackson
Blame the Canucks.


18 posted on 03/25/2012 11:41:13 PM PDT by Daffynition (On Andrew Breitbart: In his honor, I'll fight harder...He'll be back and he'll be millions.)
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To: djf
I don't care what they do so long as they keep producing great, great wine!


19 posted on 03/26/2012 3:56:39 AM PDT by Daffynition (On Andrew Breitbart: In his honor, I'll fight harder...He'll be back and he'll be millions.)
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To: Daffynition

Sometimes, good wine is cheap.

All the time, cheap wine is good!

;-)


20 posted on 03/26/2012 4:18:01 AM PDT by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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