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U. S. HIGHWAY 93 RECONSTRUCTION ON THE FLATHEAD INDIAN RESERVATION: AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP IN ROAD ECOLOGY

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U. S. HIGHWAY 93 RECONSTRUCTION ON THE FLATHEAD INDIAN RESERVATION: AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP IN ROAD ECOLOGY

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ON THE FLATHEAD INDIAN

RESERVATION

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Carcass Removal Data DOT 2016 through 1_2024.xlsx

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Possible MT Sci Standards-Animal Xing.docx

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NGSS K-8 Engineering Standards Wildlife Xing

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NGSS K-8 Engineering Standards Wildlife Xing

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NGSS K-8 Engineering Standards Wildlife Crossings

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Multi-disciplinary Grade Level Content Standards

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Multi-disciplinary Grade Level Content Standards

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Engaging Students in MT Research! Slide Deck Engaging Students in MT Research: Animal Xings Slide Deck

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Engaging Students in MT Research! Slide Deck Engaging Students in MT Research: Animal Xings Slide Deck

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Engaging Students in MT Research! The Learn Where you Live Series

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People's Way Partnership- Wildlife Crossing Structures

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Wildlife use of wildlife crossing structures on US93 North in Montana

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Animal crossing structures saving lives along Highway 93

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Birthright: Born to Poetry - A Collection of Montana Indian Poetry

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Birthright: Born to Poetry - A Collection of Montana Indian Poetry

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Essential Understandings of Montana Indians

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Essential Understandings of Montana Indians

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Example: Animal Xing Mind Map with prompts.docx

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Standards & Learning Connections Mind Map

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Driving north of Missoula through the Flathead Reservation, vehicles on US Highway 93 pass under a semi-circle arch of a vegetated overpass. Built to facilitate wildlife movement across the busy road, the overpass is a visible reminder that motorists are not the only individuals moving across the landscape. What motorists may not see as they continue north from Evaro, through Ravali, and past the Bison Range (previously the National Bison Range), are underpasses that facilitate wildlife movement underneath the highway, sections of wildlife exclusion fencing flanking the road corridor, and wildlife jump-outs. In addition to the overpass, culverts, bridges, and underpasses (38 in total) act as valuable conduits for movement underneath the road. Sections of wildlife exclusion fences keep large mammals off the road, away from traffic (wildlife-vehicle collisions are most reliably reduced when fence sections are greater than 5 km long [1]) all while aiding in funneling wildlife towards the crossing structures. And for individuals that get stuck inside the exclusion fences, the wildlife jump-outs allow for one-way movement out of the road corridor and back outside the exclusion fence. Together these engineered interventions allow species like white-tail deer ( Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus), black bears ( Ursus americanus), coyotes ( Canis latrans), raccoons ( Procyon lotor), bobcats ( Lynx rufus) amongst others to safely cross the highway. In Montana, across the US, and globally, wildlife crossing structures are becoming an increasingly popular tool employed to mitigate the road barrier effect on wildlife, and promote human-wildlife coexistence.

The presence and number of crossing structures along highway 93 in the Flathead Reservation is no coincidence. In the early 2000s, when a proposal was put forward to widen the highway, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) pushed for a "context-sensitive design" that included the wildlife crossing structures. "Protecting cultural, aesthetic, recreational, and natural resources located along the highway corridor and communicating the respect and value commonly held for these resources pursuant to traditional ways of the Tribes" was a guiding philosophy for the highway's redesign. The negative and long-felt impacts that highways can exert on communities and ecosystems are well documented. With leadership and agency over their land, the CSKT pushed for a departure from business-as-usual road reconstruction to instead showcase opportunities for coexistence-based design by designating that "the road is a visitor and that it should respond to and be respectful of the land and the Spirit of Place". Ultimately, the reconstruction of the 90.6 km-stretch of roadway resulted in a number of innovative design elements and one of the densest collections of wildlife crossing structures in the world.

Wildlife overpass spans US highway 93 in Montana. One of numerous engineered interventions included when the highway was widened in the early 2000s on request by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to mitigate the road's impact on landscape and near-by communities. Photo credit: Montana Department of transportation.

There are a number of ecological, economic, and social benefits associated with including wildlife crossing structures in the design or redesign of road corridors. Wildlife-vehicle collisions cause considerable loss of life (human and wildlife), injury, and cost Americans nearly $8 billion every year [2]. Wildlife exclusion fences alone would minimize these collisions, however, fencing without associated crossings would threaten the long-term viability of local wildlife populations by making already impermeable road corridors nearly impervious to wildlife movement. As a result, crossing structures are regularly coupled with fencing and placed where highways bisect important habitat, at sites where wildlife frequently cross the road, and areas known to have high incidences of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Larger structures like culvert underpasses and overpasses are often designed for larger mammals that pose the greatest threat to motorists. These larger structures can also benefit a range of non-target species including invertebrates, amphibians, medium-sized mammals, and reptiles. Though in many cases small-bodied species are more than just co-beneficiaries, projects often include structures and mitigation measures specifically targeting smaller species especially if the species are threatened or of high conversation value.

Crossing structures can never fully restore habitat connectivity to pre-road construction levels, however they can increase the permeability of the road corridor to wildlife movement. And in doing so, structures improve the long-term viability of wildlife populations impacted by the road. For local wildlife that are comfortable approaching the road corridor, crossing structures allow individuals to safely access habitat on either side of the road, populations to exchange genetic information, and select ecosystem dynamics to play out across the road rather than fragmented on either side. Additionally, strategically placing structures where roads intersect historic wildlife migration routes can maintain the ecological integrity of large landscapes and benefit populations like pronghorn or mule deer whose seasonal long-distance movements are threatened by roads. Site and species specificity are key when it comes to designing crossing structures and the dimensions, placement, and features of a specific structure are often determined by the goals of the project and the needs of the target species.

Culvert underpass offers wildlife that are willing to approach the road corridor a passage under highway 93 north.

In recent years, research illuminating the benefits of crossing structures has grown, fueling greater interest in structures themselves and the study of their role as elements in the landscape. As more structures are built and begin to age, researchers and managers are able to ask questions about how wildlife use of structures changes over a structure's lifetime. Post-construction monitoring for wildlife movement is a common practice amongst wildlife crossing structure projects but rarely does funding support monitoring beyond 5 years. Studies find that once a structure is in-place, wildlife-use increases for a time before stabilizing [3][4]. Though it is reasonably assumed that the frequency of wildlife crossing increases and then plateaus over time, any changes in wildlife specie's relationships to structures or use-behavior beyond the initial monitoring window are poorly documented. A study that compiled 121 major crossing structure connectivity investigations found that monitoring lasted on average less than 2 years [5]. Given that crossing structures can be in the landscape for more than 75 years, it is important to establish an understanding now of how structures perform over their full lifetime. With an improved understanding of how wildlife interact with and use structures over time, future projects will be able to better set targets for wildlife-use and even set goals for long-term connectivity improvements.

Camera trap captures a back bear (Ursus americanus) utilizing a culvert underpass to cross US highway 93.

Whenever I drive under the US highway 93 wildlife overpass on my way to the culverts underpasses that make up my study, I'm reminded of all the advances in the field of road ecology and crossing structure design as well as the leadership of the CSKT that led to the inclusion of wildlife crossing structure in the redesign of highway 93. I grew up next to the oldest wildlife overpasses in the country, and since their construction in the 1980s, the field of road ecology and wildlife crossing structures design have improved immensely thanks to a continued effort to research and improve crossing structures. The structures along US highway 93 have been the subject of a number of studies since their construction and in-turn, have led to improvements in our understanding of how structures and associated fencing function to mitigate the road barrier effect and minimize wildlife vehicle collisions. With my work this summer, I'm looking forward to adding to the growing research that will support future projects to continue to improve crossing structure design and increase the permeability of road corridors to wildlife movement. As attention is increasingly focused on mitigating the impacts humans exert on our environment, wildlife crossing structures offer opportunity and hope for human-wildlife coexistence.
References
[1] Huijser MP, Camel-Means W, Fairbank ER, Purdum JP, Allen TDH, Hardy AR, Graham J, Begley JS, Basting P. 2016. US 93 North Post-Construction Wildlife-Vehicle Collision and WildlifeCrossing Monitoring on the Flathead Indian Reservation between Evaro and Polson, Montana Final Report:159.

Huijser MP, McGowen P, Fuller J, Hardy A, Kociolek A, Clevenger AP, Smith D, and Ament R. 2008. Wildlife-vehicle collision reduction study. Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Washington D.C., USA 232 pp. Available from: http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pubs/08034/index.htm

Clevenger AP, Waltho N. 2003. Long-term, year-round monitoring of wildlife crossing structures and the importance of temporal and spatial variability in performance studies. Available from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3g69z4mn.

Gagnon JW, Dodd NL, Ogren KS, Schweinsburg RE. 2011. Factors associated with use of wildlife underpasses and importance of long-term monitoring. The Journal of Wildlife Management 75:1477-1487.

[5]Van der Ree, R., E. A. van der Grift, N. Gulle, K. Holland, C. Mata and F. Suarez. 2007. Overcoming the barrier effect of roads - how effective are mitigation strategies? An international review of the use and effectiveness of underpasses and overpasses designed to increase the permeability of roads for wildlife. In: C. L. Irwin, D. Nelson and K. P. McDermott (eds.). Proceedings of the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation: 423-431. Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Luca Guadagno, Western Resource Fellow | Luca is a Master of Environmental Science candidate at the Yale School of the Environment interested in the connections between nature based climate solutions, landscape-level conservation, and community-driven land stewardship. At YSE, he works on research and stakeholder engagement related to tree planting and forest management for multiple benefits, including for carbon drawdown, income generation, and ecosystem services. Before coming to YSE, Luca worked on human-wildlife coexistence research in Kenya and worked as an environmental educator. He received his B.S. in Biology and Environmental Science from Tufts University. See what Luca has been up to.| Blog

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An introduction to the wildlife crossing structures that help animals move over and under Highway 93 in the Flathead Reservation, Montana. -Luca Guadagno

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Driving north of Missoula through the Flathead Reservation, vehicles on US Highway 93 pass under a semi-circle arch of a vegetated overpass. Built to facilitate wildlife movement across the busy road, the overpass is a visible reminder that motorists are not the only individuals moving across the landscape.

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Presentation Evaluation: Engaging Students in Montana Research

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The Power of Place-Based Education, ASCD

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The Power of Place-Based Education, ASCD

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I remember the sound of running water, the smell of damp logs, and the thrill of finding a tadpole in Sligo Creek. I was 11 and had time to dawdle. A year of museum and battlefield tours in and around Washington, D.C. introduced me to design and the way it can shape our lives. I knew I'd be an architect or engineer.

Awestruck a year later, I stood on a glacier at 14,000 feet, bracing against a 50-mile-per-hour wind and feeling very small against the vast expanse of the Colorado Rockies. Glaciology studies - that was the field for me. My interest in engineering and rocks sent me to the Colorado School of Mines and got me a good first job.

I'm the sum of the places I've been and the experiences I've accumulated. It wasn't a picture of the Rockies that won my heart; it was the paradox of fear and wonder that came with being in a spectacular remote setting. It wasn't my parents preaching contribution that convinced me of the merits of service; it was the urban ministries we worked in for a decade. It wasn't any of the classes I took in college that I remember; it was work in strange and wonderful places that shaped my path. Place is powerful, personal, and persuasive.

Over the last three decades I've been lucky enough to travel to thousands of the world's most impressive and unique school environments. What sets many of them apart is a unique attention to place, community and encouraging student leadership.

Some people have viewed place-based education forest preschools and field trips but that is just the beginning. Immersive learning and community connected projects can happen anywhere.

We've seen place-based education done well in some of the most surprising organizations and schools, creating a sense of community among the students and the world outside of the school. When done well, PBE:

1. Embeds learning everywhere and views the community as a classroom.

2. Is centered on individual learners.

3. Is inquiry-based to help students develop an understanding of their place in the world.

4. Incorporates local and global thinking and investigations.

5. Requires design thinking to find solutions to authentic problems.

My recent bookThe Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education , co-authored with Emily Liebtag, Executive Director of Boundless and Nate McClennen of Teton Science Schools, is a resource and guidebook that dispels the notion that place-based education is an approach limited to those who can afford it and makes the case for why PBE is an essential practice to attain three important goals of education: student agency, equity, and community.

Agency

Agency requires self-knowledge, social awareness, and a sense of place and time. It is an applied disposition gathered through successively larger actions on a progressively larger world. What teaches us to perceive our location and relations is not language; it is our physical senses collecting action research. Agency is a muscle; place-based learning is the gym.

Many schools value routine and compliance-and both squelch student agency. It's extended encounters with novelty and complexity that build the disposition and skills of agency - the humility to appreciate the complex and the confidence to know what to do next. These valuable extended challenges are frequently connected to a community that provides context for learning and opportunities for contribution. Once students feel ownership in a space and feel valued, agency can begin to develop through these powerful learning experiences.

Equity

At the core of place-based education is the need for more equitable learning environments for all students-environments where students are seen, valued, and heard. In these environments, learning is designed with and for students as humans and individuals in the space. This is deep and complex work, but it should be at the core of why we choose to work with young people. Utilizing place is one way to do this.

Young people from affluent households often experience a rich variety of places both locally and internationally that are not easily accessible to those less fortunate. A school's systematic commitment to expose children to a variety of community assets closes a portion of this opportunity gap.

People who grew up experiencing racism or intolerance may feel like something - and some place - has been taken from them. Beyond providing access, community learning experiences can create enfranchisement - the sense that "people like me" belong here, whether that's at the zoo, a museum, city hall, or a high-tech workplace.

Each learner is unique, and equity demands that we meet every child where he or she is -emotionally, cognitively, economically, and geographically. Connecting learners to the place where they live can contribute to a sense of identity-a sense of who they are and where they're from. The humblest settings and surroundings have something to teach. And learning about a new place may be the best way to illustrate and support the variability in the way humans perceive and process an experience.

Community

Place-based education connects learning to communities and the world around us; it builds community in four respects:

1. It creates bonds. When a group experiences the wonder of a vaulted ceiling, mountain vista, or night sky, it creates a special bond. Whether it's the challenge of navigating a subway or trailblazing in the woods together, these moments of shared struggle or awe can act as a glue that connects people and builds community. Early childhood education environments often use community as the basis for teaching and learning throughout the year, grounding each experience in how we can work together and create common norms and culture.

2. It personalizes learning. Place-based learning allows students to find a personal connection to their community or a place. With some voice and choice in shaping projects, internships, and service experiences, learning is personal and community connected.

3. It builds social capital. With intentionality, place-based learning helps young people develop their social networks and take the chance out of chance encounters beyond school.

4. It promotes contribution. Some schools treat students as participants preparing for a distant future. Place-based learning helps young people identify opportunities and make community contributions in the present-powered by new technologies that make it easier than ever to code an application, launch a campaign, or start a business. When empowered with a sense of agency and supported with time and tools, young people can contribute to their community in unprecedented ways.

With repeated place-based experiences, young people are co-creating the future. In a world that is becoming more individualistic, place-based learning invites young people into the community. Learning in a variety of places with a wide range of people builds agency, equity, and community.

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The Power of Place-Based Education - ASCD

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I remember the sound of running water, the smell of damp logs, and the thrill of finding a tadpole in Sligo Creek. I was 11 and had time to dawdle. A year of museum and battlefield tours in and around Washington, D.C. introduced me to design and the way it can shape our lives.

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Learning Where You Live: The Power of Place-Based Education Teach Hub.com

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Learning Where You Live: The Power of Place-Based Education Teach Hub.com

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Place-based learning is an innovative approach that engages students in their community. By integrating their physical local environment, culture, and landscaping, students learn through participation in service projects to help them gain a better understanding of their place in the world.

This transformative teaching method helps to foster a sense of community and engagement among students. Here you'll learn about the concept of place-based education, its advantages, how it can help support personalized learning, along with the real-world applications that may help to transform traditional teaching methods.

What is Place-Based Education?

Place-based education (PBE) is a teaching method that uses the local community and environment as the foundation to teach concepts across the curriculum. Instead of learning through examples, students learn through hands-on activities right in their own community. Through the course of their studies, students take part in a variety of real-world activities that offer deep and personalized learning that are both meaningful and relevant to their lives. Place-based learning turns communities into classrooms.

Benefits of Place-Based Education

There are many benefits to place-based learning experiences. Some of these benefits not only impact students and teachers but can also have an impact on families and the community as well. Here are a few of the advantages.

Supports Student Learning

Studies have shown that place-based education can lead to improved academic performance. According to a report from the Place-Based Education Evaluation Collaborative. It can also increase student engagement as well as students' enthusiasm for learning. One study noted that teachers using this model observed their students becoming more involved with their environment after participating in hands-on activities. Another study reported students surpassed the district averages in math and science.

Increases Environmental and Cultural Awareness

This approach can help students better understand their local environment and cultural heritage. By involving students in engaging local projects, students will gain knowledge and skills and develop a sense of responsibility to their community and environment. These skills and connections can then influence students' attitudes toward their community, promoting a commitment that may last a lifetime.

Improves Social Skills

Place-based education can enhance social skills and give students a sense of responsibility by involving them in collaborative community projects. Since these projects require students to work together, they learn vital skills such as communication with others, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. Through these experiences, students see how they can make a difference and make a positive contribution to society.

Helps Make Real-World Connections

Utilizing this teaching method has been effective in helping students make connections between what they are learning and the real world, making learning more impactful. For example, a history lesson that explores a local historical site can help students understand and connect with their community's history. Through this method, students will begin to see that each subject they are learning is integral to the function of their community in one way or another.

PBE Enhances Personalized Learning Experiences

Place-based education (PBE) is flexible, making it easy for teachers to tailor learning experiences to student needs and interests. This personalized approach to learning allows teachers to design lessons that are engaging and motivating to students based on their individual curiosities and/or career aspirations. For example, if a student is interested in architecture, they would study local buildings and learn about the history of the buildings in their art and history classes.

If a student is interested in the ecosystem, they may observe and study local wildlife in their science class. By focusing on individual interests, students gain insight into possible professional fields they may want to pursue as well as learn about real-world issues that will help deepen students' understanding of the world around them.

The Real-World Applications of Place-Based Education

Using your local surroundings and community as a classroom can transform your student's learning. Here are some real-world examples of place-based education in different settings.

Urban Settings

In an urban setting, PBE may focus on urban planning, sustainable development, or social issues. Students may engage in projects like building a community garden, which can help them understand topics about environmental science and vegetation. Students can also better understand the social implications of areas with limited access to nutritional food.

Rural Settings

In a rural setting, place-based education may focus on natural and agricultural resources. Students might work with local farms to learn about sustainability and how to keep the environment healthy. They may help with projects that manage natural resources or learn how farming affects the ecosystem. These projects will help students understand the close links between their communities and their environment.

Indigenous Communities

Place-based education can be extremely impactful for indigenous communities because students will gain a deeper understanding of their local indigenous knowledge and traditions. By learning traditional skills and languages, students will gain a deep respect and understanding of their cultural history which can help enrich their own identity.

Place-based education helps students better understand and appreciate the world around them. By focusing on the local environment and community students aren't just doing better in school, they are caring about their local communities, understanding different cultures, and feeling the social responsibility of being in society. This innovative teaching method has proved to get students to think deeply and become more actively involved in their community leading to a more engaged and informed generation.

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Learning Where You Live: The Power of Place-Based Education - TeachHUB

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Uncover the transformative power of place-based education! Discover engaging strategies for educators and parents to turn their communities into classrooms.

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The value of place in the education of our children, Rural Schools Collaborative

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The value of place in the education of our children, Rural Schools Collaborative

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The value of place in the education of our children

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Place-based education in New Hampshire’s rural schools provides highly engaging and meaningful learning experiences for students.

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The Benefits of Place-based Education: a report fromt he place-based education evaluation collaborative, 2nd edition

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The Benefits of Place-based Education: a report fromt he place-based education evaluation collaborative, 2nd edition

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1. Home

2. Research and Evaluation

3. Benefits of Place-based Education

Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative. 2010.

This 6-page brochure summarizes evaluation data from six place-based education programs representing more than 100 schools (rural, suburban, and urban) covering twelve states.The body of evidence reflects more than 1,000 adult interviews or focus group participants; more than 250 student interviews; more than 900 educator surveys; more than 2,700 student surveys; extensive document review; and dozens of on-site observations.

The findings are clear: place-based education fosters students' connection to place and creates vibrant partnerships between schools and communities. It boosts student achievement and improves environmental, social, and economic vitality.

In short, place-based education helps students learn to take care of the world by understanding where they live and taking action in their own backyards and communities.
Version 1 here 2010 Second Edition Here

place-based education, environment as integrating context (EIC)

science, math, engineering, technology (STEM)

reading, writing, English as a second language

social studies, geography, global studies

environmental science, environmental studies, ecological restoration

cultural history, folklore, racial studies, community studies

school based

out of school time/after school

whole school change

professional development

student

educator

school

community

elementary (6-11 years old)

middle school (12-14 years old)

Community Mapping Program (CMaP)

Forest For Every Classroom (FFEC)

Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (LREC)

Local Investigations of Natural Science (LIONS)

PEEC Cross-Program (XP)

Project CO-SEED (CO-SEED)

Sustainable Schools Project (SSP)

Trail To Every Classroom (TTEC)

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This 6-page brochure summarizes evaluation data from six place-based education programs representing more than 100 schools (rural, suburban, and urban) covering twelve states.The body of evidence reflects more than 1,000 adult interviews or focus group participants; more than 250 student interviews; more than 900 educator su

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Why Should Schools Practice Place-Based Learning?  Lee Carlton: thinkglobalschool.org

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Why Should Schools Practice Place-Based Learning?  Lee Carlton: thinkglobalschool.org

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GLOBAL

SCHOOL

Why Should Schools Practice Place-Based Learning?

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Why Should Schools Practice Place-Based Learning?

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Get the facts on why place-based learning is so important in connecting students with their local community and the world.