This past September, Johnson Engineering’s wildlife biologist, Dr. Jennifer Korn, attended the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) in Sacramento, California. There she presented the results from the project Johnson Engineering recently completed for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One. The study used remote cameras to monitor wildlife crossings and existing bridge structures for use by wildlife, especially Florida panther, Florida black bear, and white-tailed deer. This data was then analyzed in an effort to determine optimal structural design that is also the most cost-effective for future wildlife crossings and retrofitted bridges.

The conference included presentations from wildlife and transportation professionals across the globe discussing topics such as structural design of wildlife crossings, policy, and monitoring methods The conference location was of special importance as California attempts to build a new wildlife overpass (at Liberty Canyon) near Los Angeles where mountain lions struggle with loss of habitat connectivity due to large highways. Insights gained from this conference will supplement our own information gathered about wildlife usage of existing bridge structures in Florida, as Johnson Engineering continues to assist on transportation projects and future design/placement of roads and wildlife crossings.

Jennifer also provided a viewing of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition mini-trek film titled “The Last Green Thread”. This film featured her with the expedition members on location at the Reedy Creek Bridge on I-4. The film is available to view online at https://youtu.be/chjolIiforw.

For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Korn, Ph.D. at [email protected].