Fall 2024 David A. Walsh ‘67 Arts & Sciences Seminar Series
Friday, November 15 at 12pm
Room: Snell 213
A study of the impact of roadkill on local wildlife and ecosystems in the Algonquin to Adirondacks corridor The Algonquin to Adirondack biological corridor is a critical movement pathway for wildlife between the temperate forests of the Northern Appalachians and the boreal forests of Canada, but it is threatened by climate change and agricultural and residential development. To protect this important corridor, the Algonquin to Adirondack Collaborative (A2A) was established in 2005. A2A engages in a variety of projects, but this talk will focus on our recent road ecology work on the US side of the border. In 2023 and 2024 we worked with the NY Department of Transportation and C3G at Clarkson to identify hotspots of wildlife- vehicle collisions along Routes 12 and 37 in the 1000 Islands Region. We documented 1,836 wildlife carcasses in 32 surveys of a 12-mile stretch of each highway. Wildlife mortality was dominated by frogs, but there were also significant numbers of mammals, birds, snakes, and turtles, including the threated Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) and other species of concern. Hotspot analysis across all taxa identified nine 1000-ft hotspots on Route 12 and seven 1000-ft hotspots on Route 37. We are now modeling the relationship between variables like landcover and traffic volume and hotspots to facilitate prediction of hotspots on unstudied stretches of these highways. Next steps for the project include evaluating existing infrastructure for wildlife passability using 18 camera traps set in September 2024, and ultimately recommending priority areas for mitigation measures such as building wildlife underpasses.
Kate Cleary Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at SUNY Potsdam
Kate Cleary is a conservation biologist whose research focuses on evaluating the complex relationships between biodiversity and agriculture. She holds a PhD in Conservation Genetics from the University of Idaho, an MSc in Conservation Biology from Colorado State University and a BSc. in Biology from the University of Richmond. Between these degrees, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala and a Fulbright Scholar in Costa Rica, and held positions with the National Park Service, the US Geological Survey, and private environmental consulting firms. Kate moved to the North Country in 2017 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at SUNY Potsdam.
The Arts & Sciences Seminar Series is a weekly colloquium series that has been supported by the School of Arts & Sciences Advisory Council at Clarkson University especially through generous gifts from David