No More Road Kill!

November 6, 2018

316 S. Weinbach Ave.

Evansville, IN 47714

Dear members of the offices of the Evansville City Mayor, Evansville Environmental Protection Agency, Evansville Parks and Recreation, Evansville Transportation & Services, Evansville City Engineer, Vanderburgh Co. Engineer, Vanderburgh Co. Area Planning Commission, and Vanderburgh Co. Highway Department,

I am contacting you on behalf of an environmental action project group, consisting of members Betsy Hannon, Pema Sherpa, Bailey Bender, Mills Hunter Camp, and Connor Prow, formed to fulfill requirements for PHIL-316 at The University of Evansville.

This petition requests that adequate attention is focused on creating wildlife crossings within Vanderburgh Co. in areas where animal-vehicle collisions are common in order to create safer traveling for drivers and wildlife residing around us. Wildlife crossings appear in many forms, including underpass tunnels, overpasses (bridges), viaducts, amphibian tunnels, fish ladders, canopy bridges (for animals such as squirrels), tunnels, culverts (for small mammals), and lastly but not limited to green roofs (for butterflies and birds).¹The goal of wildlife crossings is to assist animals in crossing roads safely, which can reduce vehicle-animal collisions by limiting the number of animals which cross on the road. As reported by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute, vehicle-animal collisions accounted for almost 1,300 reported accidents in Indiana in the year 2016, amongst numerous others that may have been uncounted.² Vehicle-animal collisions cost Indiana drivers money for repairing their vehicles, medical care if injuries occur, and most importantly, threaten both human and animal lives. The construction of wildlife crossings prevents animals from crossing roads, thus making driving safer for both human animals and non-human animals. After creating wildlife crossings on specific stretches of road in Nevada, the Nevada Department of Transportation saw that 95% of animals crossing roadways were accomplished without the animals ever being on the road.³ By constructing wildlife crossings in Vanderburgh Co., roads can become safer for drivers and numerous wildlife species. Also, the effort could help encourage other cities in Indiana to make progress on this issue, making the roads safer for more Indiana drivers. Wildlife crossings need to be constructed because they can save countless lives of both animals and humans, connect fragmented habitats, prevent endangered species from going extinct, save money on vehicular damages, and advance science (biology/ecology).

¹ "New Solutions." ARC New Solutions. ARC,

² Indiana University Public Policy Institute "Indiana Crash Facts 2016," Indiana Traffic Safety Facts. https://www.in.gov/cji/files/Highway_Safety_Fact_Book_2016.pdf

³ Kelley Stewart "Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossing Structures to Minimize Traffic Collisions with Mule Deer and Other wildlife in Nevada," University of Nevada Reno. https://www.nevadadot.com/home/showdocument?id=6485

Signatures attached represent individuals in favor of this request.

Sincerely,

Connor Prow

cp193@evansville.edu