Integrating Wildlife in Large Construction Projects

1. INTEGRATING WILDLIFE AND AQUATIC ORGANISMS IN LARGE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS • Terry Brennan, PE • Tonto National Forest • August 30, 2006

3. Who am I? • From the Tonto National Forest • ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) Program Manager • 4 Full Time Forest Service Personnel all paid for by ADOT under Agreement • Working with ADOT projects for the last twelve years

4. Optimum Standards • Fish/ aquatic organism passage • River/stream continuity • Wildlife passage

6. CTIP PROJECT SUMMARY • Agency: US Forest ServiceProject Title: Aquatic Organism Passage Training • Description:Conduct courses on inventory and assessment procedures, FishXing software use, including ranking the crossings for biological significance. Conduct courses on site assessment and design including geomorphic and biological considerations, stream simulations. • Accomplishment/Status To Date:Workshops on stream simulation design are being held at five locations in FY 2006. • Contact: Technology & Development Center 909-599-1267

7. Designing for Aquatic Organism Passage at Road-Stream CrossingsSalem MissouriMay 15-19, 2006The Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, USDA Forest Service, and the MissouriDepartment of Conservation will co-sponsor a continuing education workshop May 15-19, in SalemMissouri. The workshop is designed for interdisciplinary three or four person teams including engineers,hydrologists, fish biologists, and aquatic ecologists. Attendees are encouraged to arrange their ownteams, but individuals will be accommodated.Course Goals:Participants in this intensive interdisciplinary workshop will learn the necessary skills to designstream-crossing structures that will accommodate aquatic organism passage, provide more natural streamprocesses and channel function, and maximize the long-term durability and stability of the structure.Although the primary design approach at this workshop will be stream simulation, other designapproaches will be discussed and compared.Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams throughout the workshop to resolve aquatic organismpassage scenarios at different stages of the site assessment/ design process. A one day field trip tomultiple road-stream crossing sites will complement and reinforce workshop materials as participantsidentify, assess, and discuss the various aquatic, geomorphic/hydrologic, and engineering issues at eachsite. One of the visited field sites will be used in a class design exercise.Workshop Objectives:Relate the importance of maintaining aquatic and semi-aquatic organism passage and ecosystemconnectivity through road crossing structures, including the transport of water, woody debris, andsediment.

8. http://www.anr.state.vt.us/fw/fwhome/library//Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Interim_Guidelines_for_Aquatic_Organism_Passage_Through_Stream_Crossing_Structures_in_Vermont.pdfhttp://www.stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/pointers.htmlhttp://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrFish/Management/stream_road.htmhttp://www.anr.state.vt.us/fw/fwhome/library//Reports_and_Documents/Fish_and_Wildlife/Interim_Guidelines_for_Aquatic_Organism_Passage_Through_Stream_Crossing_Structures_in_Vermont.pdfhttp://www.stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/pointers.htmlhttp://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrFish/Management/stream_road.htm http://www.stream.fs.fed.us/news/streamnt/jan02/jan02_01.htm

9. NOW WHO SAYS WE HAVE A CONNECTIVITY PROBLEM

10. How To Get To Win / WinFor Large Construction Highway Projects

11. Objective: • To Build or reconstruct a linear feature that has the least impact on the Natural Environment

12. Highway 260 realignment. Clearing stage.

13. So what’s a win/win definition? Highway proponent Project accomplished on time and within budget Resource Agency Enhances or at least minimizes the impact of the project

14. Getting to WIN / WIN • Identify your desired future conditions • Be early in the project • Think Construction and Contractors Activities • What can I take home?

15. Desired Future Conditions • What are you wishing you could do? • Trailhead • Water for public use • Interpretive Site • Fence a riparian • Environmental past abuse repaired • Less roadkill of animals • Wildlife water source • Reconstruct a wetland

16. Be Early –It’s important • Build a solid foundation

17. Be Early –It’s important • Build a solid foundation • Timeframe – Important steps can easily be two years before ground disturbing activity • Identify your issues and concerns And Get them into the NEPA Document • Animal migration corridors • Key/critical habitat • Generalities not necessarily specifics

18. Getting to WIN / WIN Impacts that need to be addressed By the Land Management Agency And what’s in it for me?

19. Material Balance • Waste • Interpretive sites • Contractor staging areas • Borrow • Boat Ramp Safety obstacle • Reconstruct Wetland – Wildlife Pool in Mo 147,000 cy borrow

22. Water • Construction • May require up to 1MM + gallon per day

25. Water Resource Management

26. Water for Compaction

27. Solutions that we have used on the Tonto National Forest • Commercial or private well • Surface water from reservoirs • Excess surface water from Creek during winter runoff • Effluent treatment plant • CAP canal

28. Staging Areas • Allow the contractor to put footprint of your project in place • NEPA clearances completed Might get paved Water Needed intersection Utilities

31. Access • Identify where you will allow and what remains at contract completion

32. Choose Low Maintenancematerials for solutions • Fix it right the first time • More money available in STP than in other sources later • Bioengineering solutions • Pure engineering answer vs Natural Material

34. Give all the criteria and info you have • For a crossing • How High? • How long? • Skylight? • Cover Requirements for smaller species

35. Erosion Control • Develop SWPPP as part of the contract documents • Is there a use for Sedimentation Basins after project completed, ie WL drinker? • Erosion Control vs Sedimentation Control • Allow sediment basins to be outside of the footprint of the permanent disturbance

36. Bridge Impacts • Even thought you have a bridge, not all bridges are constructed alike… • Attached is a quick guide on the advantages /disadvantages and impacts of different types of structures

39. Contract Documents • Plans and Specs • Include everything you can think of (including those mentioned today) and have a solution that is defensible in the contract

40. Take homeHow to get to Win / Win • When it comes to schedule or budget, schedule is usually more critical to an engineer • There seems to always be more money, but the public expects timely progress. • Targets (scheduled construction) are critical

41. Take homeHow to get to Win / Win • Get agreements of impacts in contract before contractor starts construction

42. Take homeHow to get to Win / Win • FHWA is a good partner • FHWA is trying to be better stewards through their actions and guideance • Exemplary Ecosystem Initiative Projects • Get your project ideas here and then implement them • See what might be possible http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ecosystems/index.htm

43. Take homeHow to get to Win / Win • Co-sponsor award applications for Highway agency • Give them all the credit

44. QUESTIONS???