Lebanon
White-tailed deer can be found through much of Lebanon’s 40 square miles, along with coyotes and red foxes. If residents search hard enough, they’d likely come across bears, wild turkeys and porcupines as well.
But development could be putting some of those animals in danger, according to the report, which was commissioned by the city’s Planning Board. Not only are animals being killed as they attempt to cross roads, but there’s also concern new developments could disrupt animals’ movement from one large parcel of forest to the next.
“While researching the history of these wildlife crossing areas, it was apparent that the ‘green infrastructure’ of the city has become more and more important as zoning changes, development projects and impacts to the city’s natural landscape have occurred,” the report said.
And although development isn’t positive for wildlife in the city, which has a population of 13,600 but sees that total double that during the business day, there are changes the city can still enact, said Rick Van de Poll, the report’s author and the owner of Ecosystem Management Consultants in Sandwich, N.H.
Van de Poll’s report came out of earlier work to inventory the city’s natural resources in 2010, said Mark Goodwin, a city planner who works with the Conservation Commission. At the time, he identified 65 animal crossings in the city that were considered to be significant.
Those crossings were important for several reasons, Van de Poll said in an interview. First, they provide animals with a corridor connecting the city’s woodlands.
The crossings also help the animals find new mates, which in turn leads to population diversity and improved health in animal populations.
“That’s part of their life history. They need to be able to move, to find prey, to find shelter and find mates,” Van de Poll said.
Lebanon’s planners wanted to go a step further than the inventory to identify the areas where animals were most under pressure. Officials selected 17 areas in most need of review, and commissioned Van de Poll to study them.
“I’ve worked in over 95 towns in the state and I think only three have completed a wildlife corridor analysis on a townwide basis,” Van de Poll said of Lebanon’s commitment to habitat management.
Overall, he found several areas where signs, land conservation or overpasses and underpasses would do animals good.
One of those was on Route 120 south of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. It is one of the most heavily used crossings in Lebanon, with mostly unmanaged woods on both sides and connection to wetlands and Rix Ledges.
“For that reason it had the most roadkill associated with it,” Van de Poll wrote.
Decreased traffic speeds would help animals cross safely, he wrote. Culverts could also be redesigned to allow animals safe passage, the report recommended, and the highway fence should be either demolished or altered with breaks for animals to pass through.
Nearby, the Exit 19 area of Interstate 89 also makes for a difficult crossing. “The combination of two double-lanes of Interstate 89 and two lanes of the Miracle Mile has provided a barrier that very few animals can cross,” the report said.
But that doesn’t stop some from trying. Van de Poll noted that red fox and coyotes make use of the interstate bridge that crosses Poverty Lane. Deer were also recorded making the brave trek across the highway.
Van De Poll doesn’t list any recommendations for that area — he considers it a “hopeless cause” — but he also sees chances for improvement in other areas.
For instance, he hopes securing forest land as part of a large housing development proposed for Carter Country Club as a way to preserve a large wildlife corridor that stretches east to Storrs Hill. Along that corridor, the city is considering purchasing an 108-acre property to prevent development.
Van de Poll also cites city efforts to remove rip rap, which hinders deer movement, and work on culverts as important steps.
He’s not so optimistic larger projects, such as large underpasses on main thoroughfares, would ever come to fruition, however. Such endeavors are usually too costly for a city, he said, and rarely make their way onto the state’s 10-year transportation plan.
Goodwin said the city will now take the information and use it to plan for both zoning changes that could discourage further development along the corridors and for future conservation purchases.
A copy of the report can be found on the city’s website at lebanonnh.gov. The Planning Board is expected to discuss its findings in February.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.
Correction
An earlier version of a map with this story overstated the number of identified wildlife crossings near Etna Road, at Exit 19 along Interstate 89, and on Route 4 east of the interstate. A corrected map is now attached.