VDOT’s Amy Golden, Land Stewardship Lead in the Office of Transportation Sustainability, presented a useful overview of Virginia Wildlife Corridor Action Plan -- Making Roads Safer for People and Wildlife (PDF) during Wild Virginia’s An Introduction to Virginia’s First Wildlife Corridor Action Plan on May 18. Golden spent the bulk of the time discussing how and why the action plan team framed the plan the way they did, selected the data, and the like. This plan, as to be expected, is the first in what will be an iterative, multi-year process to protect wildlife and people.
Deer and bear stood out in the wildlife-vehicle conflicts data, represented by the hot pink lines in the map below, across the state.
But as anyone who drives on the Northern Neck knows, crossing turtles present a hazard during the late spring. (Source: Turtles) Turtles found on the NNK are:
- Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
- Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta)
- Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)
- Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii)
- Southeastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum)
- Northern Diamond-backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin)
- Eastern River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna concinna)
- Northern Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris)
- Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)
- Woodland Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)
For the next iteration of the plan, the team―made up of Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Forestry―will endeavor to consider the needs and challenges associated with other wildlife. We can help. NNK residents can report turtle sightings and conflicts:
- Box Turtle Reporting Form
- iNaturalist Virginia Reptiles and Amphibians on Roads (shown below): “This project is designed to document observations of reptiles and amphibians on or near roads in Virginia. The observations can be of live or dead individuals. This information can be used for research that will help us gain a better understanding of the species most affected by road mortality, locations with the highest frequencies of mortality, and the habitat conditions associated with these hotspots.”
- VDOT’s Report a Road Problem online form; call 1-800-367-7623 (FOR-ROAD) if the request is related to a road hazard that needs immediate attention or 911 for emergencies
Want to help turtles cross roads safely? Here are some tips:
- Slow down
- Tips for Helping Turtles by Wildlife Center of Virginia
- Tips for helping a turtle cross the road by US Fish & Wildlife Service
Photo: By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wikimedia