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 was 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. Analysis of the pronghorn data collected between November 2017 and June 2020 via the app was completed and potential mitigation sites were presented to stakeholders in a workshop setting. Initially, 16 potential sites were identified along Highway 1 in Alberta and Saskatchewan where road mitigation could improve pronghorn movement. Following a ranking exercise by workshop participants, the number of potential mitigation sites was narrowed down to four sites in Alberta and three sites in Saskatchewan. The prioritized mitigation sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan provide a starting point for assessing the feasibility of implementing a mitigation structure (overpass).

Partnerships

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

Annual Summaries

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