Adventure Science and Roadkill Identification: Turning Observations into Research Data

“How did a great Red-tailed Hawk
come to lie - all stiff and dry -
on the shoulder of
Interstate 5?”

This question, posed by Gary Snyder in his poem “The Dead by the Side of the Road” is at the heart of ASC’s newest project: “The Roadkill Survey for Road Bikers,” which asks bikers all over the world to record the instances of animal casualties they observe.  Together with the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, ASC is interested in learning which areas along major roadways world wide are the most dangerous for animal migration. 

We are recruiting all road bikers to get involved, and the process is very easy thanks to the website iNaturalist.com.  Anyone can sign up to record data or download the app to a smart phone here http://www.adventureandscience.org/roadkill-data.html.  We are looking for data all over the world to determine the areas that are most often used by animals on regular migration routes.  This data will be used to determine where road kill “hot spots” are located, which animals are affected the most, and the cause of roadkill.  

Your observations can speed up the process of mapping where road kill occurs and the main thorough fairs used by animals to get from place to place.  By engaging an army of citizen-scientists, we can collect data much faster than if researchers where on their own.  The more people who are out collecting research, the better for everyone.  It’s easy and it adds a motivating sense of purpose to you daily or weekly ride.

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