The Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative

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The Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative

• An overview by Stephanie Kassoy

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The Broad Vision

• Who Conservationists
• What Attempt to link 1,800 miles
• Where Rocky Mountains from Yellowstone National
  Park to the Columbia and Mackenzie Mountains in
  the Yukon
• When 1990s
• Why ?????

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Seeks to

• Protect, maintain, and restore ecological
  integrity
• Promote landscape connectivity
• Preserve wilderness
• Foster economic sustainability

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Once upon a time

• Manifest Destiny
• Lewis and Clark
• ND/MT Border
• 400-500 miles east of where you find grizzly
  bears today
• Glorified vision of the American West

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Grizzly Bears in Y2Y Eco-region
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Park Planning

• 1872
• Square Boundaries
• Islands of habitats

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Economic Changes

• Mountain Amenities
• Healthy environment
• Easy access to recreation
• Spectacular scenery
• Wildlife

• Diversifying economic possibilities
• Increase service/professional industries and
  non-labor income
• Decreasing resource extraction mining/forestry
  industry

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Sustainable Growth

• Faster communities grow, more likely to destroy
  qualities that simulated growth
• Old role of public lands
• Produce jobs through flow of raw materials
• New role of public lands
• Provide setting that makes communities attractive
  places to live and do business

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Stakeholders

• Scientists
• Conservation groups
• Government agencies
• Community leaders
• Business interests
• Community members
• US/Canada cooperation

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Blending

• Well-being of human communities
• Healthy, wild, and biologically diverse natural
  environment
• How????

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Tools

• GIS Software
• Animal Tracking - DNA
• Under/over passes on roads
• Conservation easements
• Community Master Planning
• Tax incentives

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http//www.grizzlybear.org/Y2Y.htm
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Bozeman Pass Wildlife Linkage and Highway Safety
Study
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Research Example Stephanies 4th Year Thesis
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Animal-Vehicle Collisions (AVCs)

• Intersection of wildlife preservation and driver
  safety
• 120 vehicle-occupant deaths in 1991
• Approx. 350,000 deer deaths/year
• Annual US estimated cost of 900 million

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Causes of AVCs

• Roads built without regard for the environment
• Increased development in rural areas
• Thriving deer populations
• Inattentive drivers
• Low visibility

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Why Bozeman Pass?

• Identified as possible major wildlife movement
  corridor
• Daily animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs)
• Good road-kill data for 2001 and 2002
• Western Transportation Institute

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Data Collection

• Mile marker and tenth
• Presence of an AVC in 2001 or 2002
• Barrier
• Type
• Height
• Distance to end
• Shoulder, Lane and Median width

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Data Collection cont.

• Road
• Shape
• Slope
• Median and Roadside
• Slope
• Habitat type
• Presence of
• Development
• Culvert
• Over/Under Pass

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Field Data Collection Results

• Probability of an AVC decreases as the average
  barrier height across the road increases

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Probability of an AVC increases with

• Presence of a median barrier
• Open water or a riparian zone north or south of
  the road
• North roadside slope of lt45 degrees up
• South roadside slope of lt45 degrees down

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