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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Advancing Pollinator Habitat Monitoring through Remote Sensing on Nebraska Roadsides</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689394</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To meet monitoring and reporting requirements under the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) must collect consistent data on milkweed stem density and nectar-plant cover across extensive roadside networks. Current field-based approaches, though effective, are resource-intensive, limited in spatial coverage, and require a specialized level of biological expertise. NDOT needs a scalable and cost-effective remote sensing strategy that can meet CCAA requirements. Furthermore, NDOT must understand the costs and benefits to applying this technology in-house or via external contract, and how the products could be applied to offer NDOT versatile imagery and data outputs that can support broader environmental review needs, planning, and maintenance decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:41:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689394</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating Bat Use of NDOT-managed Transportation Structures with Occupancy Modeling</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636171</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Bridges, culverts, and other transportation structures sometimes provide roosting habitat for bats. Widespread use of these transportation structures across Nevada may potentially provide bat roosting habitat in areas naturally devoid of karst systems, and it is currently poorly documented how the presence of transportation structures in Nevada may increase the range of cavernicolous roosting bat species across the state. These structures may also supplement natural cave roosting habitat in the region that is sometimes disturbed or negatively impacted. Bridges, culverts, and other transportation structures vary in both design and materials, and, therefore, in their potential attractiveness to bats as roosting structures. Currently, Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) manages over 2,000 bridges and 52,000 culverts across Nevada. During a pilot study NDOT conducted in 2024, a subset of bridges and culverts were documented as supporting roosting use by bats. Thoroughly understanding the types of transportation structures that bats are using across Nevada, as well as the species, colony type, and degree of use, will provide NDOT an opportunity to efficiently plan maintenance activities on these structures so that future unexpected bridge and culvert maintenance work delays are minimized.

The objectives of this research are to: (1) Determine which transportation structures across Nevada are most likely to provide roosting habitat for bats through the development of a predictive model to improve NDOT bridge survey planning efficiency. (2) Complete 500 to 650 visits to transportation structures assuming approximately four culvert visits for every bridge visit (because bridge surveys are generally more time intensive) to determine which surveyed structures show no signs of use, show signs of use, and are actively occupied at the time of survey. (3) Determine the type of colony and seasonality of use for occupied structures. (4) Develop best management recommendations into an estimated 20-page bat management plan plus references and appendices based on survey results and a finalized model. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:09:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636171</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Using Unmanned Aerial Systems to Identify and Manage Protected Species Habitat</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2604538</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or drones provide a unique but mostly unexploited opportunity to improve the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)'s right-of-way management and its current practices for planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining habitat. The research team will develop guidance on the use of UAS to identify and manage protected species habitat and determine the efficacy of multi- and hyper-spectral imagery for identifying and mapping endangered plant populations and potential pollinator conservation areas.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 16:28:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2604538</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The Ecological, Genetic, and Disease Impacts of Translocations on Florida Scrub-jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) Impacted by Habitat Loss</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2569131</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this project are to translocate Florida scrub-jays (FSJs) annually in Fall 2025 and 2026 from abundant populations in South Brevard to areas with low abundance and available habitat, supported by population viability analyses and the FSJ recovery coordinator. This includes evaluating potential recipient conservation lands, banding and collecting genetic and disease data from translocated birds, and monitoring their success as breeders. Additionally, the project aims to assess the genetic compatibility of translocated FSJs using existing genomic datasets to investigate kinship, genetic variation, and immunogenetic compatibility, which may impact translocation success. Finally, the project will determine the impact of pathogenic infections on translocated FSJs and how translocations affect pathogen transmission dynamics, including creating a pathogen database, characterizing pathogen presence and diversity, and testing associations between infections and genetic variation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:55:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2569131</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>US 36 Granite Property PMJM Monitoring </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417291</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) completed the construction of a habitat restoration project intended to mitigate impacts to the existing South Boulder Creek Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (PMJM) population located in the footprint of the US 36 Managed Lane Project. The mitigation involved habitat creation and restoration at an 18-acre site known as the Granite Property in south Boulder, which is located adjacent to a known PMJM population. CDOT frequently invests substantially in species-specific habitat restoration similar to the Granite Project, but it is often not known if the species of concern actually benefits from these efforts in the long-term. The study seeks to understand the effectiveness of the habitat restoration work by monitoring the presence/absence of the PMJM, which are known to inhabit the adjoining property. This project involves a presence/absence trapping effort within the boundaries of the Granite property to provide a baseline for comparison with future data collection. Subsequent years involved a trapping effort with attempts to understand PMJM habitat use in the area. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:53:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417291</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Beaver Dam Analogs Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417288</link>
      <description><![CDATA[At several locations along the I-25 South Gap Project, Carpenter Creek and East Plum Creek cross or run adjacent to I-25. To regenerate riparian habitat that supports Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM), CDOT installed 8 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) near the Spruce Mountain Road/I25 intersection (E. Plum Creek) and 7 BDAs adjacent to I25 near East Noe Road (Carpenter Creek).
   The installation of BDAs provides an opportunity to understand the value of BDAs for regenerating habitat along streams, particularly PMJM habitat. If BDAs are a viable PMJM habitat regeneration tool, they may be an an effective method for recovering PMJM populations. Connecting PMJM habitat and populations, by restoring degraded riparian habitats, is a priority for recovering PMJM and delisting the subspecies from the Endangered Species Act.
   The goal of this Study is to conduct sampling of the number of PMJM in, and adjacent to BDAs installed by CDOT, to determine the level of PMJM use prior to, and after BDA installation. Recommendations will  be made for the use of BDAs on future habitat restoration and PMJM mitigation projects, if applicable.  
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:30:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417288</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Identifying Road Segments that Bisect Predicted Movement Corridors for Small Priority Species in Virginia</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2389347</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The legislatively mandated Virginia Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (WCAP), created by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, in collaboration with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Virginia Department of Forestry, identifies wildlife corridors and areas with a high risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions and recommends wildlife crossing projects intended to promote driver safety and wildlife connectivity. The WCAP lists several “recommendations for future actions” for its next iteration. Four future actions include: (1) identify at-risk terrestrial [and aquatic species] and other species of interest and with corridor needs not sufficiently addressed by the Wildlife Biodiversity Resilience Corridors (WBRCs); (2) identify important habitat corridors for these species; (3) identify Wildlife Crossing Concern Areas (e.g., high-risk road segments) for these at-risk species; and (4) for the WBRCs, identify and analyze non-road human barriers (e.g., land uses) impacting corridor connectivity. This study supports these future actions. 

The study purpose is to advance the work of the legislated WCAP and meet the intent of an awarded Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grant by identifying road segments that may pose a high risk or impede movement of select small terrestrial and semiaquatic animal species, from a conservation perspective. To identify high risk road segments, distribution models will be created to obtain estimates of habitat suitability and important movement areas for a list of priority species. These habitat suitability and predicted movement maps will be created in Google Earth Engine using a subset of known occurrence locations and relevant predictor variables for each species. Virginia will benefit from this study’s application of a robust spatial analysis workflow to identify areas of suitable habitat, potential movement corridors and high-risk road segments for species with limited road mortality data and/or specialized habitat requirements.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Jun 2024 13:50:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2389347</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NCHRP Implementation Support Program. Implementing NCHRP Guides on Pollinator Habitat Conservation along Roadways</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342016</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many pollinators are in decline and roadsides can be valuable habitat for them and other wildlife. Roadside managers have an interest in pollinator conservation and are seeking information about ways to support imperiled pollinators and to preclude future listings to the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

One of the primary goals of NCHRP Project 25-59, “Pollinator Habitat Conservation along Roadways,” was to produce guides that cover 16 regions of the United States. Each guide includes regional information about site selection, design, installation, and management of roadside pollinator habitat; the native plants and pollinators of each region; and guidance on ESA regulatory compliance to reduce regulatory uncertainty and contribute to pollinator conservation and recovery. Supporting materials that accompanied the guides include videos for transportation agencies and the public, a communications toolbox, monitoring and habitat assessment tools, and plant lists.

NCHRP 20-44(55) will provide training on using the guides, and help state department of transportation (DOT) staff understand and consider pollinator habitat conservation strategies that may be effective in their jurisdiction or situation. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 20:04:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342016</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Pollinator Habitat &amp; Pollinator Plant Seed Increase at Brigham City Rest Stop</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262756</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will determine best native plants that are beneficial to the ecosystem and reduce maintenance costs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 09:59:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262756</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Comparison of eDNA and Electrofishing Survey Methods for Management Purposes</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2149836</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Presence/absence monitoring for fish species is traditionally conducted via electrofishing surveys. This methodology is often time, labor, and cost intensive and results in low detection rates for low-density populations. An innovative technology, environmental DNA (eDNA), has the potential to significantly improve species detection rates while simultaneously requiring less time and labor than electrofishing surveys. An eDNA assay was recently developed by Strickland and Roberts (2019) for Roanoke logperch, Percina rex, a federally endangered darter endemic to the Roanoke and Chowan River basins. Although the Roanoke Logperch has a limited range, past and future impoundment removals should expand the occupied reach of this difficult to detect species. This study proposes to assess the utility of eDNA for routing monitoring by directly comparing detection rates between eDNA and electrofishing for Roanoke logperch. Additional analysis of the specific assay will be conducted by testing against co-occurring species; analyzing detection against various environmental factors such as temperature, turbidity, and drainage area; and increasing the examined distribution range by assaying in North Carolina waterways. Finally, a cost-comparison between eDNA and electrofishing will be conducted to further assess the future utility eDNA survey adoption for routine monitoring.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:04:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2149836</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>US-191 Wildlife and Transportation Conflict Assessment: Preparing for Continued Growth</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2023434</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Roads sever intact landscapes and serve as one of the greatest threats to wildlife habitat connectivity. Historically, Montana’s iconic species moved freely to and from Yellowstone National Park and habitat in the 1.8-million-acre Gallatin National Forest. This movement is now threatened by higher traffic volumes, road noise, and reduced habitat quality along US-191. Wildlife along busier roads also pose a greater risk to human safety, affecting residents, commuters, and tourists. State Farm Insurance ranks Montana second highest in the U.S. for risk of wildlife-vehicle collision.

Measures to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions have been used in Europe since the 1950s and are now regular features in Wyoming, Arizona, and Nevada, among other states. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation recently carried out a habitat connectivity analysis of the Custer-Gallatin national Forest and is poised to help Big Sky achieve its vision of “a community actively working to grow, while…preserv[ing] its natural ecosystem” by developing a robust and publicly vetted assessment and mitigation plan for wildlife-vehicle conflicts in the area. The assessment will serve as a foundational step in road redevelopment planning and prepare Big Sky for implementation opportunities using methodologies already applied on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and in Teton County, Wyoming. This is the first of two phases of this project. Phase 1 is funded by the US Federal Highway Administration and the Big Sky Resort Area District.

The goal of this project is to develop a state-of-the-art Wildlife and Transportation Conflict Assessment for terrestrial and aquatic species along US-191 from Gallatin Canyon to West Yellowstone, and along Lone Mountain Trail, in Montana, to: a) lay the groundwork for implementation of best management practices to protect wildlife and human safety in the face of unprecedented regional traffic growth, b) provide residents and officials of communities along US-191 with essential tools to guide decision making, and c) enable public agencies to prioritize win-win design in future road development.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:08:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2023434</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RES2023-08: Beautifying Tennessee's Roadways and Enhancing Its Ecology By Strategizing Pollinator Habitat Potential </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2006277</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As of January 2022, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) manages 3,670 miles of roadway which 
suggests that the rights-of-way along these segments offer a great 
advantage to supporting Tennessee’s vast native plants and pollinators 
species. Likewise, the cost to maintain these rights-of-way is minimized. 
TDOT has a few publications that addresses native species planting 
along its roadways, but a statewide guidance document that offers 
identifying species for planting based on site conditions, targeted 
maintenance specifications, an evaluation process to measure success, 
and a public outreach program about these areas is missing. To 
address this, a less academic route has been chosen that instead 
includes expertise from botanic gardens, native plant groups, and 
pollinator specialists within Tennessee to work with university faculty 
to develop these guidance protocols]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2022 12:09:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2006277</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NCHRP Implementation Support Program. Implementing NCHRP Project 20-119: Evaluating the Suitability or Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1957077</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The implementation project focuses on NCHRP Report 942 Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies published in 2020. The implementation (1) offers training to state departments of transportation (DOTs) for use of the landscape prioritization model, rapid assessment protocol, and roadside habitat evaluator tool, and (2) technical support and tool refinement for participating DOTs. Each training is tailored for the specific needs of the DOT, depending on how they wish to utilize or customize some or all of the tools. DOT training events occur over a one to two-day period, using lecture-style presentations and hands-on field activities targeted for management, landscape architects, geographic information system (GIS) experts, vegetation managers, or some combination. Trainings are being conducting for a minimum of four states across different regions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2022 11:46:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1957077</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Population Estimate of a Reintroduced Population of Endangered Western Pond Turtles  at a Washington State Department of Transportation Mitigation Wetland within Beacon Rock State Park, Skamania County, Washington
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1906840</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Western Pond Turtles were listed as endangered in Washington in 1993 (Hays et al. 1999). They were likely locally common in parts of their Washington range historically, but due to factors such as habitat loss, overharvest and introduction of non-native plants, fish and bullfrogs, only about 150 turtles persisted at the two remaining Columbia Gorge sites by 1994. The Puget Sound population was effectively extirpated except 12 turtles that were opportunistically collected and placed into a captive breeding program at Woodland Park Zoo. Through various recovery actions, including release of captive-bred and wild-bred head-started turtles, the statewide population in 2015 had increased to an estimated total of 800–1,000 turtles at six locations. 
The Washington State recovery plan for the species (Hays et al. 1999) lists establishing four healthy populations in the Columbia Gorge as a key goal towards recovery. Individual populations will be considered self-sustaining when a size of ≥200 turtles is reached, comprised of no more than 70% adults (≥120 mm carapace length) and sustained through natural recruitment. Monitoring the status of each population and determining when recovery goals are met requires periodic trapping to assess numbers, age and sex ratios, and health of the turtles. Periodic trapping and population estimation using mark-recapture techniques started in 2003 and will take place every 3-5 years at all sites in the Columbia Gorge recovery zone. This work has been accomplished at three of the Columbia Gorge sites, however, no population estimate has been conducted on the Western Pond Turtle population established at Beacon Rock State Park in 2007. WDFW released 204 head-started turtles over the period of 2007-2017, but the success of that reintroduction in terms of the composition and health of the population is unknown. This population is on land owned by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission but includes a Washington State Department of Transportation constructed mitigation wetland. 
The project team proposes to trap the Beacon Rock site in 2022 with goal of estimating the population size and collecting demographic and health data. They will capture turtles using hoop traps (or modified traps for use in shallow water) spaced across the wetland complexes and checked daily. The head-started turtles are marked with notches on marginal scutes and have PIT tags for individual identification. Captured turtles will be weighed, measured, and receive a temporary mark indicating they were captured, and then released. Trapping will span 21 trap nights and will take place during June/July. The project team will analyze the data in Program MARK to achieve estimates of population size and variance estimates for this estimate. Because this will be the first estimate for this population, the 2022 effort will establish a baseline for comparison in subsequent years. 

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2022 18:52:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1906840</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Wildlife Barriers at Access Roads Along a Highway in a Multi-Functional Landscape on the Flathead Indian Reservation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1890067</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Wildlife fences in combination with wildlife crossing structures are effective strategies for reducing collisions with large mammals and providing safe crossing opportunities for wildlife. However, in rural landscapes there are access roads for agriculture, dispersed housing, and other roads, resulting in short road sections with a wildlife fence and gaps in the fences at access roads. Along US 93 North on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, wildlife guards at access roads have proved to be an effective barrier for deer species, but they are quite permeable to species with paws, such as bears. To further improve human safety and reduce road mortality of wildlife, additional measures are needed at access roads.

The objective of this project is to conduct field experiments to investigate the effectiveness of barrier designs that are more likely to keep wildlife species with paws out of the fence road corridor at access roads and fence-ends. A field experiment will be conducted at 3-5 locations along US Highway 93 North on the Flathead Indian Reservation. These sites will have a relatively low-cost electrified barrier installed, and the effectiveness of the barrier will be evaluated using wildlife cameras.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2021 09:55:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1890067</guid>
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