• Courtesy
• ArcGIS Survey123

State officials are gathering information to help them build better roadway crossings for wild animals — and they need your help. All it takes is a smartphone, an app and a strong stomach to snap a photo of roadkill.

"We really need folks to be doing this from all different corners [of the state] for it to work," explained Chris Slesar, environmental resources coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

Slesar and his colleagues teamed up with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department to develop the app, which collects data to determine where roads are acting as a barrier to animal migration. VTrans typically uses geospatial modeling to predict where wildlife is likely to migrate, but the strategy has shortcomings. 

"The missing piece has been wildlife collision data," Slesar said. 

The National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University developed the app in 2019. Slesar used open-source data to create a Vermont version that includes local wildlife.

Aside from killing animals, busy roads can also genetically isolate wildlife populations, causing inbreeding and, in some cases, even wiping them out. With a better understanding of where animals are attempting to cross the road, officials can make changes — such as enlarging bridges or culverts to allow for under-the-road movement — to aid animals in their annual migrations. 

The data can also help the state save money by providing information about where infrastructure changes aren't needed.

The app, ArcGIS Survey123, is free. Participants can scan a QR code on the state Agency of Natural Resources website to access the Vermont form. The app allows participants to select the roadkill they've spotted and also upload a picture. Responses are anonymously displayed on the VTrans website and analyzed by the Agency of Natural Resources. 

The app already has a few entries, although it could take up to five years before there's enough data to form conclusions.

Slesar encouraged people to participate, though he had one piece of advice: "Please, don't get out of your car on the interstate to take a picture of a dead animal."