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TRANSCRIPT
January 19, 2016
Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group
Welcome!
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2IM Group, LLCaecomAES ServicesAmerenAmerican Electric PowerAmerican Farmland TrustAmerican Transmission CompanyApplied Ecological ServicesCanadian National RailwayChicago Department of TransportationChicago Region Trees InitiativeClean Line Energy PartnersComEdConsumers EnergyDesign Green LandscapesDTE EnergyDuke EnergyDuPage Monarch ProjectEdison Electric InstituteEnergy Resources CenterExelon GenerationFederal Highway AdministrationGarfield Park Conservatory AllianceHey and Associates, Inc.
Huff & HuffIllinois Corn Growers AssociationIllinois Department of Natural ResourcesIllinois Department of TransportationIllinois Farm BureauIllinois TollwayKane County Division of TransportationLiving Roadway Trust FundLUSH Landscape DesignMetropolitan Water Reclamation District (Greater Chicago)Michigan Department of TransportationMiller Engineers & ScientistsMonarch Joint VentureMonsanto CompanyNatural Resources Defense CouncilNicor GasNorthern Indiana Public Service CompanyOecoHort, LLCOsage IncPizzo GroupPollinator PartnershipPublic Service Commission of WisconsinQuigg Engineering Inc.
River Bend Wildland TrustSand County FoundationStantecSWCA Environmental ConsultantsThe Field MuseumThe Morton ArboretumThe Nature ConservancyThomas Engineering GroupTree GuardiansTrees ForeverU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Geological SurveyUnion PacificUniversity of ChicagoVillage of GlenviewVillage of Homer GlenVillage of LombardWBK EngineeringWe EnergiesWildlife Habitat CouncilWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWisconsin Department of TransportationXerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Thank you to our sponsors!
Today’s Meeting
• Morning Presentations• Working Lunch• Afternoon Sessions
oTrack 1: Nuts and boltsoTrack 2: Managing for success
• Post‐meeting Survey
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About Energy Resources Center
• Within College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
• Research center founded in 1973• Focused research and services related to energy efficiency, distributed generation, utilities billing management, and biofuels and bioenergy
• Engaged with utilities, ag industry, government agencies, and non‐profits
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About Energy Resources Center
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Land use analyses
Powell Center Monarch Science Partnership
Monarch Collaborative
Rights‐of‐Way as Habitat Working Group
Board Member
Why Rights‐of‐Way?• Extensive network• Intersect various landscapes• Linear• Often contain greater plant diversity than adjacent landso Pollen and nectar sourceso Nesting sites and host plants
• Generally free of major disturbances• Protected from future development• Studies show that right‐of‐way habitats work!
Photos courtesy of: St. Olaf College, Rice County Integrated Roadside (top); Dreamstime.com (middle); Pacific Gas & Electric (bottom)
Why Rights‐of‐Way?
• More than 17 million acres of roadsides in U.S.1
• 164,000 miles of electric transmission lines in U.S.2
• Not to mention gas and oil pipelines, railroads, and other utilities such as wastewater
91. Ament, R., Powell, S., Stoy, P., Begley, J. (2013). Roadside Vegetation and Soils on Federal Lands.2. Silverstein, A. (2011). Transmission 101. NCEP Transmission Technologies Workshop.
Photos courtesy of (left to right): Godfrey Hoffman Associates, LLC; Geology.com; The Dallas Morning News; Kable Intelligence Limited.
Why Rights‐of‐Way?
• Compared to other landscapes…
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‐ 50,000
100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 450,000 500,000
State/FederalHighways
ElectricTransmission
CRP WildlifeHabitat
Protected Lands
Total Estim
ated
Acres
Iowa
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50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
State/FederalHighways
ElectricTransmission
CRP WildlifeHabitat
Total CRPTo
tal Estim
ated
Acres
Wisconsin
ROW as Habitat Working Group
Feedback from July meeting• Meet regularly• Want ways to engage with each other• Need BMPs, tools and roadmaps, and other expertise and strategies that can be adapted
• Help identify or coordinate funding opportunities• New contacts to invite to working group
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ROW as Habitat Working Group
Feedback from July meeting
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0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Scaling Up Practices
Invasive Species Management
Quantifying/Documenting Habitats
Finding Suitable Land
Resource Availability
Federal Regulations
Training/Education
Public Support
Cost/Funding
Landowner Cooperation
Hurdles Facing Working Group Participants
ROW as Habitat Working Group
Since then…• Awarded grant by National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
• Supporting parallel initiatives like I‐35 corridor• Pollinator Habitat in Practice webinars• Tracking relevant news and resources• Updates to website
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ROW as Habitat Working Group
http://www.erc.uic.edu/biofuels‐bioenergy/pollinator‐habitat/rights‐of‐way‐as‐habitat/
ROW as Habitat Working Group**NEW**Working Group Resources Page
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Go to: http://rightofway.erc.uic.edu
ROW as Habitat Working Group
CONTACT INFORMATION:Iris Caldwell, P.E. Research EngineerEnergy Resources CenterUniversity of Illinois at Chicago Phone: (312) 355‐1483Email: [email protected]
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