Newly published findings by a UNBC researcher is shedding light on why some areas along northern B.C. highways pose a higher risk for collisions between vehicles and moose.
UNBC senior laboratory instructor Roy Rea's article, "Characterizing Moose - Vehicle Collision Hotspots in Northern British Columbia" is in the June issue of the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.
The article relies on Wildlife Accident Reporting System data collected between 2000 and 2005. Rea identified 29 moose-vehicle collision hotspots and then studied the environmental and infrastructure attributes of each location to determine common characteristics.
He found that roads that went through black spruce forest and were further away from bodies of water were at a higher risk for collisions. Among the recommendations in the article is updating moose warning signs on the highway so that they correspond with current high-risk areas.
"A sign may have gone up 30 years ago where there used to be a hot spot, but now the mountain pine beetle has gone through, wiped out all the trees, and it's farmland and not a moose collision hot spot anymore," Rea said. "Signs need to be timely, current, and reflect the actual collision data."
Nine of the hotspots Rea identified were linked to places where road salt accumulates in roadside ditches, forming roadside mineral licks. As a result of the initial study, Rea is now working with the provincial Ministry of Transportation to further examine how often moose, deer and other wildlife visit roadside licks and what can be done to make the licks less attractive to animals.
Rea declined to comment Wednesday on the steps the ministry said it will take to decrease collisions with wildlife. They include increased use of flashing LED warning signs, wildlife fencing and "gateway signs" at entrances to highways with the problem.
Rea's article is available online at http://fwspubs.org/doi/pdf/10.3996/062013-JFWM-042.
Gayle Hesse, provincial coordinator for the B.C. Conservation Foundation's wildlife collision prevention program, said the peak time of year for collisions with moose and other wildlife has begun.
Tips on avoiding such collisions can be found at www.wildlifecollisions.ca.
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