Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies

The objective of this research is to develop and validate a methodology for transportation practitioners to determine if roadway corridors are sources or sinks (beneficial or detrimental) to the monarch butterfly and how to maximize the beneficial aspects and minimize the detrimental impacts. The methodology should address a broad range of variables related to the project objective such as, but not limited to, the following: (1) Accounting for the differences and similarities between the eastern and western monarch butterfly populations, and migratory and non-migratory populations; (2) Analyzing mortality rates related to roadsides; (3) Considering traffic volume, speed, right-of- way width, and roadway width; (4) Assigning functional values for different roadside vegetation types; (5) Evaluating the effects of adjacent land use and habitat; (6) Considering roadway right-of-way maintenance practices (e.g., mowing, salt, burning, timing, pesticides); and (7) Considering environmental variables (e.g., climate, precipitation, elevation and aspect). While the methodology should be directly applicable to most situations, it should also outline decision-making processes and criteria that would assist transportation practitioners in identifying flexible solutions. Ultimately, the methodology should allow users to select and prioritize the most advantageous locations for butterfly habitat enhancement on a landscape scale (i.e., how large do habitat patches need to be and are there considerations of the amount of habitat adjacent to the roadways that would make selections of particular roadside locations more beneficial than others?).

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4210

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $350000
• Contract Numbers:

  20-119

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Rogers, William

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Minnesota, St. Paul

  St. Paul, MN  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Oberhauser, Karen

• Start Date: 20170313
• Expected Completion Date: 20190913
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 40856

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Environmental impacts; Habitat (Ecology); Highway corridors; Highway maintenance; Insects; Native plants; Roadside flora
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01599005
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: 20-119
• Files: TRB, RiP
• Created Date: May 12 2016 1:00AM