Pronghorn Road Crossing Enhancement (Pronghorn Xing)

Among the diversity of prairie wildlife, the pronghorn is the most specialized and representative large mammal. Within the Northern Sagebrush Steppe of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana, 55% of collared pronghorn made seasonal migrations from summer ranges to winter ranges. Along the migration pathway, pronghorn must navigate their way across primary and secondary highways that are often fenced on both sides, resulting in pinch points where animals pile up. These pinch points along the migration pathway are a formidable challenge for migrating pronghorn. To address this migration challenge, a citizen science project called Pronghorn Xing was initiated in the spring of 2017. Pronghorn Xing is a citizen science program developed to ground-truth seasonal movement pinch-points identified by connectivity modelling across highways in the Northern Sagebrush Steppe and increase public engagement in pronghorn science and conservation. Information on wildlife sightings collected by the public will enable us to better understand where pronghorn and other wildlife are commonly crossing, involved in collisions, or staging next to the highway. To date, 132 individuals have signed up for Pronghorn Xing and reported at least one observation via the smart phone app. As expected, most observations of pronghorn were beside the road, as animals pile up in key locations and are selective as to when they cross the road. Ultimately, we believe the program will create support in Alberta for the construction of an overpass(es) across Highway 1 and the identification of crossing sites along secondary highways (e.g., Highway 41), where fence modifications can be installed to facilitate easier movement by pronghorn and other ungulates.

Partnerships

Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Transportation, Miistakis Institute, National Wildlife Federation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment and Infrastructure, Saskatchewan Government Insurance

Annual Summaries

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