Incorporating Wildlife-Friendly Stormwater BMPs with Construction Activities

Wildlife and construction interact. While we know a lot about public safety and traffic control during construction, much less is known about the same needs of wildlife. Humans can obtain water, food and shelter well outside of any construction activity. It is not so simple for wildlife that depend on clean air, clean water, and low ambient noise. Many wildlife impacts relate to stormwater management means and methods. While it is not the intent of the CGP to develop water, food or shelter for wildlife, the end result of permit compliance, a properly staged contract and ultimately stabilized soil surface renews wildlife requirements. We can have both.

Full Abstract: Construction disrupts wildlife. While many state programs identify (e.g. State and National Environmental Policy Act, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife) these impacts with the intent to avoid, minimize or mitigate, many avoidable impacts remain. The longer the project timeframe, the longer the impact. Not all wildlife impacts can be avoided, and not all impacts are equal. Impacts that prevent the next generation of wildlife might be more damaging than exclusionary practices. Are there times of year where nesting and construction can co-exist? Can predesign/design commitments made for construction be documented and completed? Can perimeter controls be modified to allow wildlife passage and still control sediments? Can erosion prevention materials placed as required by NPDES permit timeframes preserve wildlife and remain highly functional for both sediment retention and plant growth? Can stream bypass be installed that permits fish migration? Can project staging incorporate critical timeframe wildlife needs? Does specific contractor awareness training help keep wildlife productive? This presentation will discuss how existing, alternative, and new stormwater BMPs can be adjusted, or amended to reduce wildlife impacts to answer the above questions. Examples include temporary stream bypass with fish ladder riffles, temporary sediment traps used by migratory wildlife, intentional gaps in silt fence, scalable topsoil and muck berms, temporary stabilized critter crossings, low entrapment and natural erosion prevention materials, wildlife lifecycle timing and habitat restoration with native plant components. This builds on a multi-DOT/Industry panel discussion at the Spokane IECA Conference where the focus was only on wildlife-friendly rolled erosion prevention products (mats and blankets).