From: http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2007/11/19/news/local/local1.txt

MONDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2007

Local

Highway overpass OK'd for bighorns

Sunday, November 18, 2007 9:52 PM PST

First such project set in area mountains

Contributed

KINGMAN - The impassioned plea of an Arizona Game and Fish Department biologist has led to a historic collaboration to protect the Black Mountains desert bighorn sheep.

The Blacks are located between Bullhead City and Kingman.


The first desert bighorn sheep overpasses, not only in Arizona, but the entire lower 48 states, will soon be the final result of a combined effort between the Game and Fish Department, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

As the Hoover Dam bypass effort on Highway 93 began, concerns were raised about the potential impacts to the Black Mountains desert bighorn sheep herd.

With the bighorns already suffering from fragmentation - which splits the herd apart and diminishes overall biodiversity - in addition to numerous vehicle collisions each year, biologists were concerned about the increased traffic on Highway 93 and the speed at which vehicles would be traveling.

“This project had the potential to affect the long-term sustainability of bighorn sheep in the Blacks,” said Kevin Morgan, habitat program manager at the Game and Fish Kingman office. “It was pretty clear we had a problem.”

Past roadway efforts primarily focused on underpasses to maintain connectivity, but some of these are rarely used by wildlife.

“We had to think scientifically,” Morgan said. “We have technology available to us now that didn't exist in the past. We have the tools that can allow the animals to speak for themselves and provide us with the information necessary to help.”

In 2004, Game and Fish and ADOT took the next step in wildlife conservation. With funding from ADOT and the FHWA, Game and Fish began research efforts to study the movements of bighorn sheep near the bypass.

“This really was a collaborative effort,” said Mike Kondelis, district engineer for the ADOT Kingman district. “We formed a separate technical advisory committee that focused specifically on the wildlife crossings.”

Steve Thomas, environmental program manager for the Arizona Division of the FHWA, concurred.

“I think this is one of the finer collaborations I've ever worked on,” he said. “To recognize the need to get something done and then have the cooperation between State and Federal agencies with differing missions, and then have the cooperation to complete the effort is an outstanding result.

"I give credit to ADOT for stepping to the plate and to Kevin Morgan for his passionate plea. We're dealing with a species not protected by the Endangered Species Act and ADOT really stepped up and did the right thing. This is going to be great for sheep and for research on a nationwide scale.”

Using telemetry collars to mark the movements over the past three years, it became clear bighorn sheep were looking to cross near ridgelines along the highway between mile markers 0 (Hoover Dam) and 17.

“Bighorns feel safe when they're up high,” Morgan said. “They don't want to place themselves in an underpass. From their point of view, it's a great location for predators. The research made it clear these animals want to cross from a high vantage point.”

At the conclusion of the study, Morgan presented the results to members of ADOT and FHWA. The results included 80,000 waypoints (bighorn location points).

The bighorns had spoken. The sheep told researchers they want to cross at mile markers 3.3, 5.1, and 12.2. However, when the sheep approach the highway at these points, they simply turn around. The road serves as a substantial barrier and the sheep that do venture across are at risk.

With a four-lane highway planned for construction, that barrier was about to double in size and become an impossible obstacle.

“When news of this bypass first came out, my thoughts were of doom and gloom,” Morgan said. “This ended up being a unique case. It's not often you get an opportunity to improve upon a situation like we have near the Hoover Dam. When roadways are in place, you generally don't get a second chance to fix problems.”

Morgan gave credit to ADOT and FHWA for being open-minded in regards to potential impacts of roadways on wildlife.

The result? Three wildlife overpasses slated for groundbreaking in 2008.

The goal, Kondelis explained, is to wrap up design for the road widening and wildlife crossing and advertise (bidding process) the project for construction in June 2008 and, if all goes well, construction will begin in October or November.

“For the motorists and animals, this is a good thing,” Kondelis said. “It will allow this herd (of bighorns) to cross to areas that in the past they may not have been able to get to.”

Without these overpasses, Morgan explained sheep would continually reach roadway fence lines, and turn around. The roadway would serve as a barrier and effectively cut the Black Mountains herd in two, diminish biodiversity, and lower long-term sustainability.

Morgan was determined to see this didn't happen.

“It's history,” Morgan said. “I'm proud I was a part of this effort. Every time I drive by that area, there's going to be a sense of accomplishment. There was a lot of time and energy spent on this effort from all the people involved. I can't wait to see the finished product."