This female mink was tagged by a passing vehicle yesterday on Rt 70 in the Feather River Canyon.
She had no choice about crossing the highway and had probably crossed it many times before to move between Murphy Creek and the Feather River.
The more natural route would have been to swim through the Murphy Creek culvert under the highway.
This isn't possible because the water spills out of the culvert with such force that no sensible mink would consider it.
The location of her tragic ending has been memorialized in the California Roadkill Observation System. which I might add, all California roadkill aficionados should make use of.
I just signed up for an account. I had been collecting roadkill data on my way to campus everyday since you had talked about it in class. Will be adding it to the database over the next few days. Interesting project.
ReplyDeleteCodger, I was in Switzerland on business a couple of years ago. While we were traveling along what I guess would be their version of an interstate I noticed every now and again we would go through a small tunnel in the road. These appeared to just be grassy over passes. I asked the people we were with what they were. They told me that they were wildlife corridors!! These provided a safe corridor for animals to pass over the highway!! Too bad we haven't done more of this in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteGood on you, Jake. Go for it.
ReplyDeleteJoe, we have a few in this country, but not enough, I agree.
Soon coming to an iphone near you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/technology/13roadkill.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss