The latest episode of the “Stream by AASHTO” podcast delves into the “Highways and Habitats” video training series created by a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and eight state departments of transportation to help teach state DOT professionals the ins-and-outs of connecting both people and wildlife safely across the northeast.
[Above image by AASHTO]
This podcast series is part of the AASHTO Environmental Management technical service program operated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It explores a wide array of environmental topics that affect state DOTs and the infrastructure programs they oversee.
In this podcast episode, Alissa Fadden – wildlife connectivity project manager for The Nature Conservancy in New York – and Chris Slesar, environmental resources coordinator at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, talk about the importance of bringing transportation ecology to the forefront of state DOT projects.
[Editor’s note: The Northeastern Transportation and Wildlife Conference (NETWC) will be hosting a “Habitats and Highways” training session as part of its upcoming meeting September 27-30 in State College, PA.]
In the Northeast, where the training is particularly focused, state DOTs have noticed a recent uptick in changing species patterns as a result of various habitat changes, including increased flooding and road construction. For those state DOTs, it became evident that a more “connected landscape” is necessary to make roads safer while simultaneously improving protections for local ecologies, they said.
Both guests discuss ways to foster more cross-border state DOT relationships, the impact of Vermont’s original award-winning “Highways and Habitats” training program, regional habitat connectivity successes, and what this new training initiative could mean for state DOTs in other parts of the United States.
To listen to the full episode, click here.
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