On Saturday, August 10th, Coalition staff joined forces with Saguaro National Park, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pima County and volunteers to complete a 10-mile roadkill survey on Sandario Road. We made close to 300 observations of more than 17 species including Sonoran Desert toads, long-nosed snakes, bats, tarantulas and lesser night hawks.

The goal of this survey was to identify roadkill hotspots so we can make this road safer for wildlife and document animal movement through the Avra Valley Wildlife Linkage. This wildlife linkage is located between the Tucson Mountains, Saguaro National Park West, and the Roskruge Mountains. This is a critical wildlife linkage that would be impacted by the I-11 West Option if it goes forward. (Learn more about our I-11 opposition efforts here!)

This data will also contribute to the Coalition’s long lasting community science project on i-Naturalist called “CSDP Safe Passages“. You can also view this roadkill data on the “Roadkill of the Sonoran Desert” project.

This roadkill survey is an example of how community science can help create real change. Roadkill surveys provide valuable information that help us construct wildlife crossings and funnel fencing to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and increase safe passage for wildlife across roadways. This work is not for the faint of heart, but if you are interested, you can help contribute to this project by documenting any wildlife you find on roads in Pima County on our i-Naturalist project page: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/csdp-safe-passages

We are continuing to process data and a report for this survey will be available soon! Stay tuned!

---