Eagle Mountain has a lot of rural open space within its boundaries. With all of the growth that is occurring within the city, a group of residents created the “The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Group.” The membership of the group’s Facebook page has been growing since it was first established and is currently at 435+ users. The following is the letter that was sent to the Eagle Mountain Planning Commission as well as the Community Development Department. The group was created in Feb 2020 and has been working on this proposal since then. Some of the data used for the proposal comes from a recent project that the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has been working on in Eagle Mountain with its Wildlife Migration Initiative. Data has also been collected from resident sightings that have been reported. The DWR placed GPS collars on several different deer herds that migrate through Cedar Valley. Bettina Cameron and Marian Burningham, both Eagle Mountain residents, have been the spokespeople for the project and compiled the information into a report that was shared with City Officials on May 11th.
The migration paths include some popular landmarks in Eagle Mountain. Those include herds and sightings around Ridley’s, the Ranches Chevron, Ranches Academy, the Kiowa Valley, Tickville and Canyon wash, as well as Cory Wride Memorial park. Not all of these locations were part of the DWRs initiative, but have been reported using other methods.
The letter pleads with City Staff and the Planning Commission to consider wildlife as the city continues to grow. “The city of Eagle Mountain and The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Group has been working with The Division of Wildlife Resources. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent gathering data for the future mule deer migration corridor. The City needs to address this now before anymore land is developed along the corridor. We have attached several documents to help you start the discussion for May 12, 2020, Planning Commission meeting. You will soon see much more information on this corridor and how it can be achieved.”
TO: The Community Development Departments and The Planning Commission
FROM: The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Group
DATE: May 11, 2020SUBJECT: Future Land Use and Transportation Map Discussion
The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Group has noticed the Planning Commission is discussing the Future Land Use & Transportation Map. We hope the Community Development Departments and The Planning Commission addresses the need for the wildlife/mule deer migration corridor to become part of the Master General Plan of Eagle Mountain and how to incorporate it into the Future Land Use & Transportation Map.
We would like you to address the following items:
1. The Wildlife Corridor needs to become part of the Future Land Use and Transportation Map.
2. The Wildlife Corridor needs zoning and ordinances for the corridor itself and nearby development along the corridor.
3. The north-south collector road parallel to Airport Road, along Sunset Ridge, needs to be moved to the west to allow for a migration corridor. The current location of this road is where a large percentage of tagged mule deer travel during migration time.
4. The east-west collector road south of Canyon Wash needs to be moved further south so it doesn’t impact Canyon Wash and the future migration corridor.
5. Major, arterial, and collector roads that cross the Wildlife Corridor will need to have wildlife crossings. Ideally, The City and The State will want either an underpass or overpass for these crossings.The city of Eagle Mountain and The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Group has been working with The Division of Wildlife Resources. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent gathering data for the future mule deer migration corridor. The City needs to address this now before anymore land is developed along the corridor. We have attached several documents to help you start the discussion for May 12, 2020, Planning Commission meeting. You will soon see much more information on this corridor and how it can be achieved.
We will be listening to the live stream and hope to see it addressed in the meeting. We want to thank you for your time and look forward to working with you in the future. Please contact any of us with any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Group
(Bettina Cameron, Marian Burningham, Kevin Burningham, Shon Reed, Mike Kieffer, Craig Whiting, and Trista Torson)
Below is a heat map of where deer have been migrating through Cedar Valley. It should be noted that the Ranches and the east portion of the Cedar Pass Ranch area is currently not represented on this heat map. The Wildlife Initiative has not yet collared the deer herds that travel through that area, but there have been sightings reported through the Ranches area as well as the eastern part of Cedar Pass Ranch. The program plans to expand in the near future to include the herds that do migrate and travel through the non Cedar Valley sections of the city.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://cedarvalleysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Corridor_Heatmap.pdf”]Below is a map that shows the number of reported vehicle accidents in the Eagle Mountain area. The data is collected from the Utah Vehicle Collisions website: https://crashmapping.utah.gov/
In 2008 the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration commissioned a report that was given to congress. This report showed that wildlife-vehicle collisions are, “a growing problem and represent an increasing percentage of the accidents on our roads.” The report indicated that “WVCs have significant impacts on drivers and wildlife. For motorists, WVCs present a safety danger and can result in significant costs from vehicle damage. For animals, WVCs often kill the individual animals and can even pose a threat to the very survival of certain species. This study identified 21 federally listed threatened or endangered animal species in the United States for which road mortality is documented as one of the major threats to their survival.”
There are over 300,000 Wildlife Vehicle Crashes incidents reported yearly in the US. 5% of those reported result in injuries to the vehicle occupants. The report noted that there is no simple solution to this problem, but there are several things that can be done to minimize the impact of this issue. The reports indicated that Policymakers who are interested in reducing that number should consider the following actions. “Incorporate WVC reduction into the early stages of planning and design for transportation projects.” Eagle Mountain is having a huge growth spurt. Now is the time for policymakers to incorporate wildlife migration paths into transportation planning. They also suggest that policymakers “implement proven mitigation measures where appropriate.” There are several different types of mitigation methods. Those types include influencing driver behavior, influencing animal behavior, reducing wildlife population size, and physically separating animals from the roadway. UDOT has installed a unique bridge for wildlife over I-80 in Summit county. This is just one example of ways that mitigation can be accomplished by physically separating animals from the roadways.
You can see the results of the GPS tracked migration paths in the Cedar Valley in the video included here. To protect the wildlife in the study, live real-time data is not available to the public.
The data used for the proposed corridor path was compiled from the Utah DWR Wildlife Migration Initiative. Because the proposed corridor map is still being discussed, it will not be released to the public at this time. The group is still working with officials and private landowners to come up with a solution that works for the majority of people involved as well as protect currently used migration paths. The initiative is designed to “Document, preserve, and enhance wildlife movement for species throughout Utah using state-of-the-art tracking and data management technologies, strong collaborative partnerships, and compelling outreach.”
The Initiative uses state-of-the-art GPS tracking technology to monitor species movements in near real-time. The information generated by tracking collars is used to define critical habitats for species, including migration corridors that link essential seasonal ranges. Other products generated by the Wildlife Migration Initiative include maps of stopover sites, bottleneck areas, movement barriers, and the identification of mitigation needs, such as wildlife crossings that allow species to safely move under or over busy highways.
Because wildlife movements often span long distances and cross many jurisdictions, the Wildlife Migration Initiative is building strong partnerships with state and federal agencies, cities, counties, private landowners, and conservation groups to accomplish the mission of documenting, enhancing, and preserving wildlife movement. The mission is critical because Utah is one of the fastest-growing states in the country and infrastructure, which can block or disrupt wildlife movements, is being expanded at a rapid pace. [Source]
Additional Resources
Eagle Mountain Wildlife Facebook Group
Google Earth Interactive Proposed Migration Corridor Map
Utah DWR Wildlife Inititive Website
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.