For the second consecutive ICOET, faculty at Texas A&M and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley have sent several students and research faculty to present their latest research results. For the 2021 conference, they are sending 7 students who are either lead or second authors on 15 presentations. The Universities are listed together here because they seem to foster a fruitful collaborative partnership in prioritizing and monitoring ocelot crossing structures in south Texas. They work with state and federal wildlife and transportation agencies to carry out their work. This is the largest contingent of students any university has sent to ICOET in recent memory. Together, the Universities offer a multitude of research opportunities for their students, but this area of research focused on the movement patterns, roadway interactions, and needs of the wildlife of south Texas, including the endangered ocelot is of particular interest to them.
The pair of universities has conducted research into wildlife movement, including endangered ocelots, in order to aid the TXDOT in prioritizing areas to build and evaluate wildlife crossings. They have used multiple field and GIS methods to carry out this work. Their faculty and students work closely with agencies for both implementation and funding support. The students are specifically involved in monitoring the effectiveness of the structures, which is the focus of their 2021 presentations. The titles of their presentations are pasted below showing the breadth of content and goals of their research. Not only is their work contributing to successes for TXDOT and partner agencies, but they are helping to advance the study of wildlife movement and roadway interactions within the field of road ecology. The highly endangered US population of ocelot in large part depends on understanding the best methods to mitigate the impacts of road and traffic patterns at both the individual and population levels. The curriculum and research undertaken at Texas A&M and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is critical to meeting conservation and regulatory objectives. These universities, their faculty and students engaged in this work are truly exemplary and deserving of the ICOET Stewardship Award.
https://www.utrgv.edu/seems/directory/faculty/richard-kline/index.htm https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/about/jason-lombardi-phd
Presentations:
Estimating the Performance And Permeability Of Wildlife Crossing Structures on a South Texas Highway
Potential Use of Active Infrared External Tripwires (AIR) for Monitoring Wildlife Crossing Structures and Comparison to Internal Passive Infrared (PIR) Trigger Systems
Circuit Theory to Estimate Road Crossings for the Endangered Ocelot
Quantifying the Vegetation Structure around Wildlife Crossing Structures in Cameron County, Texas
Road mortality mitigation structure impacts on rodent community composition and activity in south Texas
Temporal Partitioning as a Means for Wildlife to Persist Around a Road in South Texas
Comparison of Methods for Identifying Bobcats to Individual at Road Mitigation Structures
Preliminary Results from Monitoring of a New Wildlife Crossing in Willacy County, Texas
Evaluating Wildlife Responses to Localized Mitigation Fencing Structures
Wildlife Avoidance Behavior at Wildlife Crossing Structures in South Texas
Road mortality mitigation structure impacts on rodent community composition and activity in south Texas
Comparison of Mammal Use of a Highway Before and During Construction of Wildlife Crossing Structures in South Texas
Monitoring Wildlife Road Mortalities during Construction of Wildlife Crossings Structures in Cameron County, Texas: Preliminary Results
Road Crossing Patterns of Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) Along A Urban-Wildland Gradient
Traffic Influences on Wildlife Interactions at Wildlife Crossing Structures along FM106 in Cameron County, Texas