Finding Opportunities for

Habitat Along Rights-of-Way

Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference

Iris Caldwell, P.E.

October 17, 2016

Federal Focus

Monarch Butterfly Migration

Why Rights-of-Way?

Photo courtesy of ConEdison.

Why Rights-of-Way?

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

500,000

State/FederalHighways

ElectricTransmission

CRP WildlifeHabitat

Protected Lands

Tota

l Est

imat

ed

Acr

es

Iowa

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

State/FederalHighways

ElectricTransmission

CRP WildlifeHabitat

Total CRP

Tota

l Est

imat

ed

Acr

es

Wisconsin

Data Sources:1. Iowa Department of Transportation website: http://www.iowadot.gov/about/RoadsideMaintenanceAndEnhancement.html2. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 341, Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (2005)3. Highway Mileage by State - Functional Systems and Urban/Rural: 2009, US Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States (2012)4. Personal communication with Don Stursma, Iowa Utilities Board and Jim Lepinski, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (2015)5. US Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, CRP Enrollment by State (2015)6. US Geological Survey, National Gap Analysis Program, Protected Area Statistics by State (2011)

Comparing Landscape Types

Why Rights-of-Way?

• Extensive network

• Linear

• Intersect various landscapes

• Often contain greater plant diversity than adjacent lands

• Generally free of major disturbances

• Protected from future development

• Studies show that right-of-way habitats work!

Photos courtesy of: St. Olaf College, Rice County Integrated Roadside (top); Dreamstime.com (middle); Pacific Gas & Electric (bottom)

Industry Hurdles

Landowner Cooperation

Training/Education Public Support

Cost/FundingInvasive Species

ManagementFederal Regulations

Scaling Up Practices Finding Suitable LandTracking/Quantifying

Habitat

Mission

To engage diverse stakeholders in a collaborative environment that promotes pollinator habitats and

healthy ecosystems along rights-of-way by providing expertise, cost-effective best management practices,

and industry-driven tools and resources.

Objectives

10

Data Clearinghouse Metrics & Targets

LeverageEducate

2IM Group, LLCAmerenAmerican Electric PowerAmerican Transmission CompanyAmtrakApplied Ecological ServicesAssociated Electric Cooperative, Inc.BayerBNSF RailwayCanadian National RailwayCardnoChicago Department of TransportationClean Line Energy PartnersComEdConsumers EnergyCook County Highway CommissionDTE EnergyDuke EnergyDuPage Monarch ProjectEdison Electric InstituteEnbridge EnergyEnvironmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.Exelon GenerationFederal Highway AdministrationFirst Energy CorpFlorida Department of TransportationGarfield Park Conservatory AllianceHey and Associates, Inc.Huff & Huff, Inc.

The Working GroupIllinois Corn Growers AssociationIllinois Department of Natural ResourcesIllinois Department of TransportationIllinois Farm BureauIllinois TollwayIowa Department of TransportationIVM Partners, Inc.Johnson County Secondary Road DepartmentKane County Division of TransportationKansas City Power & LightLinn County Secondary Road DepartmentMetropolitan Mayors CaucusMetropolitan Water Reclamation District (Greater Chicago)Michigan Department of TransportationMidAmerican EnergyMiller Engineers & ScientistsMinnesota Department of TransportationMissouri Department of TransportationMonarch Joint VentureMonsanto CompanyMorton ArboretumMunicipal Electric Utilities of WisconsinNational Fish & Wildlife FoundationNational Wildlife FederationNatural Resources Defense CouncilNicor GasNiSourceNoble Energy

Northern Indiana Public Service CompanyNorthern Natural GasOhio Department of TransportationPizzo GroupPollinator PartnershipPublic Service Commission of WisconsinQuigg Engineering Inc.River Bend Wildland TrustSand County FoundationSouth Dakota Department of TransportationSouth Dakota State UniversityStantecThe Conservation FoundationThe Field MuseumThe Nature ConservancyTrees ForeverUniversity of Northern IowaU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Forest ServiceU.S. Geological SurveyU.S. National Park ServiceUnion PacificWe EnergiesWildlife Habitat CouncilWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWisconsin Department of TransportationXcel EnergyXerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

2IM Group, LLCAmerenAmerican Electric PowerAmerican Transmission CompanyAmtrakApplied Ecological ServicesAssociated Electric Cooperative, Inc.BayerBNSF RailwayCanadian National RailwayCardnoChicago Department of TransportationClean Line Energy PartnersComEdConsumers EnergyCook County Highway CommissionDTE EnergyDuke EnergyDuPage Monarch ProjectEdison Electric InstituteEnbridge EnergyEnvironmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.Exelon GenerationFederal Highway AdministrationFirst Energy CorpFlorida Department of TransportationGarfield Park Conservatory AllianceHey and Associates, Inc.Huff & Huff, Inc.

The Working GroupIllinois Corn Growers AssociationIllinois Department of Natural ResourcesIllinois Department of TransportationIllinois Farm BureauIllinois TollwayIowa Department of TransportationIVM Partners, Inc.Johnson County Secondary Road DepartmentKane County Division of TransportationKansas City Power & LightLinn County Secondary Road DepartmentMetropolitan Mayors CaucusMetropolitan Water Reclamation District (Greater Chicago)Michigan Department of TransportationMidAmerican EnergyMiller Engineers & ScientistsMinnesota Department of TransportationMissouri Department of TransportationMonarch Joint VentureMonsanto CompanyMorton ArboretumMunicipal Electric Utilities of WisconsinNational Fish & Wildlife FoundationNational Wildlife FederationNatural Resources Defense CouncilNicor GasNiSourceNoble Energy

Northern Indiana Public Service CompanyNorthern Natural GasOhio Department of TransportationPizzo GroupPollinator PartnershipPublic Service Commission of WisconsinQuigg Engineering Inc.River Bend Wildland TrustSand County FoundationSouth Dakota Department of TransportationSouth Dakota State UniversityStantecThe Conservation FoundationThe Field MuseumThe Nature ConservancyTrees ForeverUniversity of Northern IowaU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Forest ServiceU.S. Geological SurveyU.S. National Park ServiceUnion PacificWe EnergiesWildlife Habitat CouncilWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWisconsin Department of TransportationXcel EnergyXerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

What’s Happening?

I-35 Monarch Highway

• Memo signed by six states in May 2016

• Loosely follows 1995 Prairie Passage Route

• Encompasses 20 – 50 miles on either side

13Photo courtesy of USFWS

What’s Happening?

Commonwealth Edison

• Prairie program since 1994

• More than 25 sites, 275+ acres managed

• ComEd Prairie Standard

Photo courtesy of ComEd

What’s Happening?

• Demo projects

• Compare practices side-by-side

Image courtesy of AEP

American Electric Power

How?

BEFORE AFTERPhotos courtesy of ITC

How?

How?

Invasive Species Management

Photos courtesy of Applied Ecological Services, Inc.

How?

Creating the Business Case

Long-term Cost Savings

Ecosystem Benefits

Carbon Sequestration

StormwaterManagement

Erosion / Snow Control

Public Relations

Partnership Building

Regulatory

Thank you!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Iris Caldwell, P.E. Research Engineer

Energy Resources CenterUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Phone: (312) 355-1483Email: iriscald@uic.edu

Working Group Resources Page

Go to: http://rightofway.erc.uic.edu

21

Appendix

22

Why Rights-of-Way?

• More than 17 million acres of roadsides in U.S.1

• 164,000 miles of electric transmission lines in U.S.2

• Not to mention gas and oil pipelines, railroads, and other utilities such as wastewater

1. Ament, R., Powell, S., Stoy, P., Begley, J. (2013). Roadside Vegetation and Soils on Federal Lands.2. Silverstein, A. (2011). Transmission 101. NCEP Transmission Technologies Workshop.

Photos courtesy of (left to right): Godfrey Hoffman Associates, LLC; Geology.com; The Dallas Morning News; Kable Intelligence Limited.