Last night along Mill Creek, I saw a single red fox where we tallied five in spring 2019, and the new roadside fencing is funneling them away from the meadow they use to keep vole surges in check… I’m pushing for a 2-mile wildlife corridor and crossing signs there — has anyone here worked on similar species protection programs with county DOTs, and what moved the needle?
, seeing the Mill Creek count drop from five to one hurts. What moved our county DOT was pairing 3 years of carcass/crash data with camera-trap hits to justify a dusk-activated “wildlife crossing” sign and a 0.6‑mile pilot, plus trimming the “new roadside fencing” to guide foxes to an existing culvert; FHWA’s guidance helps: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlife_protection/. If a full 2‑mile corridor feels too big at first, start with a pilot at the meadow edge and commit to before/after monitoring — do you have access to crash reports or carcass logs for that stretch?
Our DOT moved when we framed it as a maintenance-and-safety fix: swap an aging culvert for a wildlife-friendly box, add jump-outs, and cut shoulder carcass pickups — paid via HSIP — like replacing a leaky pipe while the road’s already open. Tie the “two-mile corridor” to their culvert inventory and pitch “no new right-of-way” so it reads as headache reduction, not a new program. FHWA’s wildlife protection page helps for precedents: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlife_protection/; do you know what structures and easements sit along that stretch?
And we got traction by pitching a tiny pilot as ‘operations, not capital’: fall–spring no‑mow strip on the creek side to cut vole‑magnet grass, two one‑way jump‑outs in the fence, and a cheap dry shelf bolted inside the culvert so foxes bypass the shoulder (cheaper than a new guardrail). Back it with 6 weeks of pre/post camera hits — building on @amelia_scott_91’s point — and take the graph to the maintenance chief. Not a substitute for a full corridor, but it gets them to yes — want a one‑pager template?
Quick example: we got buy‑in by running a 10‑day dusk camera transect and pairing it with a phone radar log to show a ‘predictable crossing window,’ then asked ops for a 90‑day flasher trial on an existing post — no capital, just timing plans. If you try that at Mill Creek, narrow the window to fox‑active hours so deer don’t hijack the ask; @Nate has a clean speed/occurrence overlay template if you need it.
I’ve had luck going through the county risk manager instead of engineering: pitch it as ‘collision and claims reduction’ and ask for a 60‑day dusk speed buffer plus a few 6-inch under‑fence gaps with brush guides — a zipper in the fence. Back it with a simple tracks/scat map and a week of neighbor dashcam timestamps so you can show timing and near‑misses. If speed is a non‑starter, use the weekend message trailer and cones to simulate the corridor, then walk it into @RoadsOps with one page of results.
Use iNaturalist + crash data at Mill Creek; ask @Traffic for a 30‑day “crossing signs” trial, otherwise temporary cones.
, that new fencing is a classic pinch‑point. I’d start with @Maintenance to cut a couple 24-inch fence notches aligned to existing culverts and add cheap one-way jump‑outs, then document a 3–4 week use pattern with trail cams to back your ‘2‑mile wildlife corridor’ ask; FHWA has examples you can cite: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlife_protection/. If they stall, loop in stormwater/MS4 since it’s along the creek and frame it as reducing carcass removal and rodent control costs — want a quick template for the notch pilot?
Ask the county biologist to co-sign your ‘2‑mile corridor’ memo; internal backing moved our DOT… Want an intro?
Framing it as an ‘add‑alternate’ on the next Mill Creek resurfacing moved our county — bundle modest guidance features and crossing signs under the paving contract and it sails because it rides their budget. If you can get @djameson45’s intro, this plus FHWA cover helps: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlife_protection/wildlife_crossings/.
seeing just one along Mill Creek after five in 2019 says that fence is “funneling them away” from the vole meadow. Before you pitch the corridor, run a 10–14 day camera‑trap transect on the culverts and pull fox/roadkill call logs from Animal Control and the sheriff — DOT folks move when you hand them a hotspot map tied to dusk hours and a low‑cost ask like temporary flashing signs. If you want, I can DM you the one‑pager we used to get a 90‑day dusk‑beacon pilot approved; @l_graham34, do you have a district contact who’s friendly to pilots?
Quick thought: we got traction by pitching a 60‑day, dusk‑to‑dawn, sensor‑triggered “crossing signs” pilot at the fence pinch‑point, approved as an ITS test, then bringing before/after speed data and a few camera clips to justify the corridor; if they push back on sign clutter, cap it at 60 days. Is there a clear funnel by the vole meadow where “Last night along Mill Creek” lines up for a pilot?
Instead of waiting on the full “2‑mile wildlife corridor,” get the DOT maintenance superintendent to issue a quick change to add 20–25 cm crawl gaps or raised‑bottom panels in the new fence at 3–5 known trails and post standard W11‑3 signs for a 60‑day trial; it’s cheap, fits maintenance, and you can log use with sand track pads. @l_graham34, did you map trail crossings first or let maintenance pick spots? If it shows movement, you’ll have leverage to scale into the capital program, and if not, pivot to culvert shelf retrofits at the worst pinch.