Wildlife Dynamics Along Major Roadways in New Jersey

• Victoria Alves, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Delaware

• Kyle McCarthy, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware

Ecologists have spent the past several decades studying how urbanization has impacted wildlife communities. Increased transportation infrastructure is a prominent change associated with urban development, and in states like New Jersey where all twenty one counties are classified as urban, large roadways are prominent elements of the landscape. Many studies suggest roads threaten free movement of wildlife across a landscape, which can lead to greater issues like habitat fragmentation and limited gene flow that jeopardize species health and longevity. However, underpasses along roads may help minimize these issues by creating spaces for safe crossings. Through cataloging wildlife movement and determining whether or not animals are using existing underpass structures along major roadways, we can better understand important population dynamics and assess the overall wellbeing of New Jersey’s wildlife species. We set eighty camera traps at thirty-seven sites along Route 1, Interstate 78, Interstate 80, Interstate 95, Route 202, and Route 206. These sites were selected for existing underpass infrastructure, accessibility, and suitable landscape features to place cameras on at least both sides of the underpass. We changed the Secure Digital (SD) cards of each camera after the first four weeks of deployment. We will process collected images and note different species observed, whether or not a crossing occurred, and related metadata collected by the cameras. This data will be used to create graphs reflecting wildlife dynamics surrounding each roadway we studied. The eighty cameras will continue to collect data as part of a larger study that I will utilize as I research my Senior Thesis and examine how the American black bear (Ursus americanus) uses underpass infrastructure in New Jersey and whether existing underpasses contribute to habitat connectivity.