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Huber, P.R.; Vickers, T.W.; Broyce, W.M.
Road impacts on mountain lions in Orange County, California: using multiple data types to prioritize management actions
2014  Conference Proceeding

Road impacts are a threat to many species due primarily to habitat fragmentation and direct mortality from vehicle collision. We studied the effects of a relatively new highway on mountain lions and several other species in Orange County, California. We used three different types of data: road kill records, GPS collar data, and least cost connectivity models. Road kill records indicated that 11 mountain lions had been killed by cars in the 15 mile long study area since highway construction, with an additional 6 killed on another section of the highway or at its junctions with other roads. Mountain lion GPS collar data were collected at varying intervals from every five minutes to every six hours. GPS points taken at five minute intervals were used to identify 20 crossing locations, and least cost connectivity models using longer interval data were utilized to estimate the locations of 55 additional crossing events. Because impacts were being assessed for multiple species, deer survey and road kill data were used to identify areas of high risk for other species. The highway section being studied was then split into 500-meter segments. The various data were combined into a final impact score and values were assigned to each 500-meter segment. Results are currently being used to prioritize management actions by the highway management agency, including installation of extensive new fencing and monitoring of existing crossing structures with cameras. In addition, we used the data to advise the agency on the design of a potential future extension of the highway in order to reduce the expected impacts on mountain lions and other species.

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