Road Ecology Center

Washington State has been experiencing an increase in the number of species listed under the Endangered Species Act in recent years. Almost every single construction project completed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) must complete a section 7 consultation. To facilitate the section 7 process, WSDOT has developed a proactive approach to imminent listings under the act. The approaches include completing Programmatic Biological Assessments, completion of site specific management plans for listed and soon to be listed species on WSDOT right-of-ways, the establishment of specific programs to help recover species, such as our fish passage barrier replacement program, and finally, conducting or sponsoring research on candidate species or species of concern. This paper describes the process that was established to select the species that would benefit most from research. Some of the ongoing and recently completed research projects are also discussed.