He’s NC Wildlife Federation’s 2022 Wildlife Conservationist of the Year and visionary ambassador for the Great Smoky Mountains Safe Passage Project—a public-private collaboration and model for the Eastern U.S., helping to increase wildlife corridors and reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Photo Above Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association.
Tell us about your path from telecommunications to now “looking at animals as a biologist” with National Parks Conservation Association.
I grew up in the lower Hudson Valley where I spent nearly 20 years in the telecommunications industry. I spent a lot of time hiking or at the Mt. Peter Hawk Watch where I learned to identify hawks in flight. In 2000, a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail helped me realign my career with my values. During that long walk I fell in love with the forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In 2003 I relocated to Chattanooga. I’ve never looked back at that decision. Today, I am the Southern Appalachian Director for NPCA. My wife, Caara, and I live in Burnsville, North Carolina, where we enjoy hiking in the Black Mountains and snorkeling in the South Toe River.
The Safe Passage Project began in 2017 with a conversation. What is it today, and why do wildlife crossings save human and animal lives, and even help economically?
Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project is a collaborative effort to build green infrastructure to improve wildlife’s ability to safely cross a busy interstate near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Participants include federal, state, tribal and non-governmental organizations. This roadway, which opened in 1968, fragmented critical habitat for many species. It wasn’t designed with wildlife in mind. In fact, in 1968 the black bear population was a fraction of what it is today. Elk weren’t even on the landscape.
For more than 20 years a new scientific discipline—road ecology—has developed. The three-year research project conducted by NPCA and Wildlands Network involved 120 wildlife cameras, 12 GPS-collared elk and driving surveys that looked for wildlife mortality. It has resulted in recommendations for mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions on a 28-mile stretch of roadway in Tennessee and North Carolina, including building wildlife overpasses and underpasses paired with strategically located wildlife fencing. Interestingly, the economic analyses show that building these structures in the right location is often cheaper than the costs from wildlife-vehicle collisions year after year.
How has the massive research for Safe Passage made it a model for other organizations in the eastern U.S.?
At the heart of the research was collaboration. With limited resources to reduce wildlife mortality on our roadways, taking a scientific approach to this work is critical and ensures structures are built in the optimal location. Two non-profit organizations teamed up for the research. State and federal agencies issued research permits. Foundations provided funding. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission provided wildlife cameras, as did the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The public raised more than $120,000 for implementation!
What is your dream for the next step?
The public is clamoring for solutions. Next steps include securing funding for feasibility studies followed by implementation. Thankfully, these agencies are fully engaged. Wildlife fencing is being installed at Harmon Den exit on I-40—a win for motorists and wildlife.
What surprises you the most about Safe Passage?
Most surprising is the robust community of practice developed from Safe Passage. It’s really heartening to see the power of the possible when organizations with different missions and priorities join in common cause and work side by side in good faith. That gives me hope for the future!
The story above first appeared in our November / December 2023 issue.
