Gary S. Casper
UWM Field Station, gscasper@uwm.edu
Wildlife ecopassages are designed to afford safe passage for wildlife across roadways, thereby reducing road mortality and improving traffic safety. Ecopassages allow wildlife to pass underneath the highway lanes, and maintain habitat and population connectivity on the landscape. This can be especially important in maintaining genetic interchange across highways for more sedentary wildlife such as amphibians and reptiles. Few data are available for evaluating the conservation effectiveness of these structures. This project will assess the effectiveness of ecopassages in Southeastern Wisconsin, and collect data on patterns of wildlife use. Funded by C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant, Natural Resources Foundation of WI, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation.