Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program

Published by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Department of Transportation

What is roadside wildlife habitat?

The strip of vegetation between the edge of the road and adjacent farm or rangeland that you view while driving down the road is roadside habitat. It's home to many species of wildlife. Pheasants and Hungarian partridge, rabbits and grassland song birds use roadsides for nesting, feeding, roosting, and as hiding cover. Roadsides are also important travel corridors that provide wildlife safe access to other adjacent habitats. Utah roadsides represent a potential habitat resource of thousands of acres in our rural counties.

In addition to habitat, roadside vegetation provides other benefits. It reduces erosion and siltation in streams, reservoirs and wetlands. Healthy stands of vegetation resist invasion by noxious weeds reducing herbicide use and maintenance costs. Native grasses, wildflowers and shrubs, important components of quality habitat, also add color and beauty to the rural landscape.

Unfortunately we have failed to capitalize on the multiple benefits roadsides afford. Many roadsides are mowed, farmed, grazed, sprayed or burned. They produce few wildlife and provide little cover during the harsh winter months.

Why does utah need a roadside habitat program?

Rural Utah is changing. The diverse pattern of small fields, grassy fence rows and brushy canal banks common in the 1960s is disappearing. Large fields, more alfalfa, less grain, fewer fence rows, and pressurized irrigation systems now dominate the landscape. These changes have eliminated nearly all the once abundant habitat on private lands. Pheasant populations have declined an estimated 2.5 percent per year since 1964 largely in response to habitat loss. Populations of meadowlarks, western kingbirds, gold finches and other farmland species have also declined.

Fortunately, thousands of acres of potential nesting and winter cover for pheasants, rabbits and many song bird species exist along the roadsides in every Utah county. In some counties, roadsides represent the largest remaining patches of nesting and winter cover. Proper planning and management of this valuable resource can go a long way toward arresting the decline of pheasant populations and populations of nongame farmland wildlife.

What is Utah doing about its roadsides?

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) initiated the Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program (URRWP). The program is based on a concept of cooperation between state government, county government, individuals, and other interest groups, such as Pheasants Forever, to promote roadside habitat enhancement.

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) supports the URRWP. It is responsible for managing an estimated 1,500 miles of roadside in Utah's pheasant country. UDOT's roadside planting and management practices set the standard followed by most counties. UDOT strongly advocates county cooperation with the URRWP.

The DWR and UDOT are developing and testing roadside seed mixes that will optimize nesting and winter cover. Research in other states has shown that the best nesting cover is a mixture of grasses, legumes and other forbs. Large patches of shrubs such as sagebrush, rabbitbrush and wild rose are also essential for winter cover in some areas of Utah. Several different mixes are being developed to respond to the varied growing conditions across the state.

Roadside management techniques and mowing schedules that are responsive to wildlife needs are also being tested. Research findings in Minnesota suggest that roadsides left unmowed for three to five years have two to three times more nests than roadsides mowed annually. After five years, the productivity of unmowed roadside vegetation declines. Mowing once every three to five years may be necessary to maintain productivity.

Specifically, Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program encourages:

• Public involvement in developing roadside vegetation management policy.
• Interdepartmental cooperation in roadside vegetation management.
• Proper management of existing patches of high quality roadside vegetation as habitat for wildlife.
• Mowing only 10 percent of the right-of-way width (ROW) off the shoulder annually.
• Mowing the entire ROW once every 3-5 years to stimulate plant vigor. No more than 1/4 mile per 1 mile section would be mowed in any one year.
• Scheduling renovation mowing after the nesting season — generally after August 1st.
• Setting mowers high to leave at least 12" of residual cover for early nesting species.
• Spot spraying noxious weeds to minimize damage to adjacent cover.
• Eliminating unplanned roadside burning, a common practice throughout the state.
• Discouraging snowmobiling and ATV riding on roadsides.
• Educating the public about the value of Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program.

How can you help?

Implementing Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program will primarily be the responsibility of state and county road maintenance personnel. Habitat management adds an exciting new challenge to their maintenance activities. Public involvement is also important.

Farmer and rancher support for Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program is essential. They can assist by not disturbing roadside vegetation during the nesting season (April-August). In addition, their cooperation in not burning, grazing or mowing roadsides, or delaying mowing until after August 1st will increase the number and diversity of wildlife species produced on roadsides. Farmer and rancher support for UDOT, county maintenance workers, and weed control practices that enhance roadsides will be essential in maintaining political support for Utah Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program.

How does roadside habitat fit in the big picture?

The Rural Roadsides for Wildlife Program is only one piece of the habitat puzzle. The other important pieces are the farmers and ranchers in rural Utah. Landowners participating in federal land and water conservation programs and using sustainable agricultural practices enhance habitat quality and quantity. Many 4-H habitat projects also benefit wildlife.

Organizations such as Pheasants Forever, in cooperation with the DWR, fund and directly assist landowners with habitat improvement projects.

Through public and private landowner partnerships we can complete the habitat puzzle, passing on to future generations the rich wildlife heritage we cherish.