Regional Ecosystem Framework for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife along the I-70 Mountain Corridor in Colorado. An Eco-Logical Field Test

摘要

Balancing transportation demands with wildlife movement needs is an ongoing challenge for departments of transportation across the country and throughout the world. In Colorado, the I-70 Mountain Corridor is generally recognized as a major barrier to movement for a number of wildlife species. For over a decade, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been analyzing traffic congestion, safety, environmental and stakeholder concerns along the Corridor, and I 2011, the Federal Highway Administration and the CDPT released a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision, the first step in long-term planning for potential improvements to the Corridor from the Glenwood Springs to Denver. This planning process provided a unique opportunity to apply the Eco-Logical framework, an ecosystem based approach developed by the Federal Highway Administration to better integrate wildlife considerations and engage stakeholders in transportation planning.