For those who missed the planned connectivity conference in 2024, we are bringing it back in 2026. We had to postpone because of restrictions on state agency travel and we wanted them there. We are holding it in 2026 to fall between the 2025 and 2027 ICOET conferences, which we also organize (https://icoet.net) and which are also mostly about connectivity and wildlife crossings. So, see you in 2026 or even sooner at the 2025 ICOET.

This story in Napa County highlights an issue facing all flattish shorelines around the world -- what to do as the ocean reclaims the land. From flood walls to managed flooding and semi-aquatic neighborhoods, there are many proposals on how to respond.

Bad News:  Well it’s hard to know exactly where the current tumult at the federal level will leave us, but so far it doesn't look great. Readers who are fans of the current president may feel like the chaos is a worthwhile price to get other things accomplished. Others may be already experiencing direct impacts to employment (federal employees and beyond), quality of life (our friends in LGBTQ+ communities), reproductive health and family choice, disease exposure (avian flu, measles, etc.) and general sense of well-being.

Brazil is home to many species of monkeys, with most relying on forested areas as habitat. Where roads cut through these forests, monkeys traversing the roads are at risk of getting hit by vehicles. Smithsonian's Fernanda Abra is using canopy bridges to help them across the road. Go to this link for more: https://www.cnn.com/world/americas/brazil-fernanda-abra-canopy-bridges-…

In this 2022 report, Club of Rome member Gaya Herrington re-analyzes the "limits to growth" model from 1972 and finds that the conclusions have not fundamentally changed: we are on a precarious peak of production and consumption that leaves us with a binary choice for the future. If we want our youth and future generations to inherit a livable world, we will need to fundamentally change our production and consumption practices. As Herrington says: "But growth can no longer be humanity’s ultimate goal.

This presentation was given to a small group in Canada, but has global significance. Road Ecology Center collaborator Dr. Travis Longcore (UCLA) gives a very accessible breakdown of how light impacts animals of all kinds and some of what we can do about it. Click here to access the full hour-long talk: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_-7qfdxWpx92uKEeENGWS5wKSHJI2S-8/view?…

The Road Ecology Center is looking for a researcher to help with our various projects. The position covers data collection and analysis, field and/or computational work, writing reports and publications, and working with diverse organizations.  Lots of opportunities for diverse work experience and professional advancement.

(The author has carried out and published most of the connectivity modeling described here, with some of the earliest (e.g., for CA) and largest (e.g., for China) connectivity models. Over the same period, he has also collected and published wildlife connectivity data/evidence, including using camera traps, wildlife-vehicle collision, opportunistic and transect observation, animal sign, GPS-collars, and genetic approaches. The opinions here are based on this experience.)

Critical Issues in Transportation: 2024 and Beyond calls for reassessing the role of transportation in addressing major societal challenges and the research that informs the choices that society will need to make in 2024 and coming years.

Bad News: It’s been a year of many firsts around the world. Most heat records were broken, including for the hottest year on record and highest ocean-surface temperatures. There were consequences of this heat for things we know how to measure (like wildfires, sea-ice cover and glacial melting) and many unknown consequences for myriad microbial, plant, and animal species and communities.

Utah state Department of Transportation and Division of Wildlife Resources created an app in 2022 for the public to use to report roadkill on public roads. In this story, they described the several thousand reports they have received in 2023.

Caltrans District 5 and regional stakeholders have been concerned about the number of wild animals being killed on US 101 through Gaviota Pass, Santa Barbara County. Our roadkill hotspots report has identified the areas a regional hotspot for large wildlife collisions.

"Linkage" models are usually developed based on human assumptions about wildlife response to disturbance, and assume perfect knowledge of landscapes by wildlife.  They also result in idealized "linkages" or similar emphasis areas for connectivity conservation.  They are rarely developed based on occurrence or movement information for multiple species, or validated using wildlife occurrence or movement data. In this paper we evaluated 4 connectivity models at the California extent (424,000 km2) and one at a quarter of that extent (Mojave desert).

Visiting scientist Rafael Barrientos and various colleagues found that horizon and nearby light were very influential in determining mountain lion habitat selection. 

See the article here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0370. If you cannot access the article, email the REC for a PDF.