The mission of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) is to provide a university-wide forum for Central Washington University (CWU) students, encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusivity, representing all disciplines and experience levels, to present their mentored research, scholarship, and creative works in a juried environment that meets professional conference standards and expectations.
The 2022 SOURCE program is hybrid. Pre-recorded virtual talks are colored green and can be watched anytime. Live/in-person sessions with Zoom access can be found in the daily schedule. Thank you for joining us!
To vote for the 2023 SOURCE poster, click here To learn more about SOURCE or give to support the students of Central visit, https://www.cwu.edu/source Connect on social media with @CentralWashU, @cwusource, #SOURCE2022, #CWUTogether
Roads have allowed for increased connectivity between humans, but also fragment animal habitats and impede movement. When animals do move across roads, wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) can occur, which endanger people, are costly, and cause unnecessary mortality in wildlife populations. Reducing wildlife collisions protects biodiversity while also protecting people. Construction of wildlife crossing structures on I-90, which started in 2008, has aimed to reduce wildlife collisions for those reasons. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has collected data on the number of WVCs occurring on I-90 in the construction area, as well as a control area, from August 2008 to the present. In addition, wildlife cameras have been deployed to document the usage of wildlife crossing structures both before and after their construction. Based on those data, I used generalized linear mixed-models to analyze the effect of construction on both wildlife-vehicle collisions and movement of wildlife across the highway. Construction of the wildlife crossing structures has resulted in safe passage across the I-90 freeway thousands of times, for species ranging from ungulates such as elk and deer to carnivores such as coyotes,' preventing wildlife collisions from occurring. Increased time since construction is associated with an increase in the number of crossing events, especially for deer and elk within the Price/Noble Creek area overcrossing. Implementation of these wildlife crossing structures on I-90 has allowed for connectivity between habitats while decreasing the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions as animals can now safely cross the barrier created by the I-90 freeway.
