Spatial and Temporal Variation in Moose- (Alces alces) Road Crossings

Abstract

This study examined what separates a crossing site from an available crossing site and investigate when and where roads are more likely to be crossed by moose (Alces alces). Five seasonal models for two sexes were selected using an information-theoretic approach based on Akaike s Information Criteria. Crossings were expected to be more likely during times of increased moose activity, and in areas of preferred moose habitat.There were clear temporal effects of moose road-crossing probability, both within and between seasons: crossings were most likely to occur during the twilight hours. The influence of habitat and climate was much lower than expected, which lead to difficulties in creating spatially predictive statistical models. Nevertheless, high quality forage attracted crossings, while ruggedness, human disturbance and snow depth dissuaded them. It is therefore possible to predict spatially varying crossing probabilities across varying seasons, but it is difficult to produce management recommendations on this basis. Moose-vehicle collision-mitigating actions should therefore be focused on the temporal scale and management of the moose population density.