May 17, 2004

Douglas B. MacDonald
Washington State Department of Transportation
PO Box 47300
Olympia, WA 98504-7300

Dear Secretary MacDonald:

We urge the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to provide for a high level of wildlife connectivity in its plans to upgrade Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. For decades, this segment of the freeway has significantly affected the flora and fauna of the central Cascades of Washington. The upgrade provides a rare opportunity to correct past negative effects and prevent additional negative effects in the future by providing crossing structures. Any new structures built during the upgrading process are likely to remain for many decades, during which the regional climate may change, additional species may suffer major population declines, and ranges of species may shift. It would be shortsighted to do the minimum thought necessary today, only to find later that additional bridgework is necessary to maintain viable populations of all species.

Numerous studies and agency documents underscore the regional ecological significance of the zone bisected by Interstate 90 between Hyak and Easton. In the Northwest Forest Plan, federal biologists recognized the area as “a critical connective link in the north-south movement of organisms in the Cascade Range” (USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management, ROD D-16). A study entitled I-90 Snoqualmie Pass Wildlife Habitat Linkage Assessment found that three of four road-kill concentration areas lie within the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project area (Singleton and Lehmkuhl, sec. 5). These concentration areas indicate crossing points for coyote, elk, deer, bobcat, and other species.

Of course, the wildlife impacts due to the interstate go beyond road-kill. When a freeway inhibits wildlife from finding food, habitat, security cover, and/or potential mates, it threatens to divide wildlife populations in two. As you are aware, one larger population of a species over a larger range is more resilient in the face of stresses (such as disease and loss of habitat) than two smaller, disconnected populations. This is true of invertebrate species as well as the more familiar mammals and other vertebrates. With shifting climatic patterns and subsequent modifications to habitat, the importance of good connectivity will only increase.

We appreciate that WSDOT has brought together a Mitigation Development Team consisting of agency scientists to identify scientifically sound solutions for this stretch of Interstate 90. We understand that there are more than a dozen potential crossing sites, and that seven of these could be improved with new or expanded bridges. Most would also improve hydrologic function in the area. The choices WSDOT makes in selecting options will be significant factors in the success or failure of efforts to recover threatened and endangered species, and also efforts aimed at keeping many other species from reaching those same, precarious thresholds.

The scientific and transportation communities have been working together over the last decade to minimize the effects of roads on wildlife, and to improve conditions for wildlife when possible. Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Canada, and our own state of Washington provide examples of these efforts. These designs are protecting and restoring natural systems, while keeping our transportation system moving. The I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project provides an excellent opportunity to advance the state of the art—indeed, the unique ecological importance of surrounding forest and waterways should compel us to do so.

The Northwest Forest Plan set a new standard in evaluating the ecological impacts of governmental projects. Its list of taxa and summary of conservative management practices should be a guide in your current evaluation. We urge you to meet the high standards necessary for Washington State to provide safety for both wildlife and humans, and to set a national model for successful transportation systems.

We commend you for your efforts to date. We are most appreciative of them, and we trust that you will evaluate options that provide a high level of connectivity for all species as you prepare the alternatives for the upcoming Environmental Impact Statement.

Sincerely,

Gordon H. Orians
Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences
Professor Emeritus of Biology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

Alan Kohn
Past President, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Professor Emeritus of Biology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

P. Dee Boersma
Professor of Biology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

David M. Darda
Professor and Chair
Department of Biological Sciences
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA

Sheldon R. Johnson
Professor of Zoology
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA

Tom Cottrell, Ph.D.
Plant Ecologist
Department of Biological Sciences
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA

Dr. Lucy A. Bottcher
Adjunct Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA

Samuel K. Wasser, Ph.D.
Endowed Chair in Conservation Biology
Director, Center for Conservation Biology
Department of Biology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

Robert T. Paine
Professor Emeritus of Biology
University of Washington
Seattle

Sally Nickelson
Terrestrial Ecologist
Cedar River Watershed
North Bend, WA

Literature Cited

Singleton, Peter H. and John F. Lehmkuhl. 2000.
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass Wildlife Habitat Linkage Assessment, Final Report. US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Wenatchee, WA.

USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management. 1994. Record of Decision for Amendments to the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl; Standards and Guidelines for Management of Habitat for Late-Successional and Old Growth Forest Related Species Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. Portland, OR.

cc:
Senator Patty Murray, U.S. Congress
Senator Jim Horn, Chair, Washington State Senate Highways and Transportation Committee
Representative Ed Murray, Chair, Washington State House Transportation Committee
Aubrey Davis, Chair, Washington State Transportation Commission