From the blog bluhalo: A newly designed, interactive website is hoping to leave a major impression on wildlife enthusiasts and animal rights activists on the American west coast. Known simply as the I90 Wildlife Watch, the new website allows drivers to share information on wildlife animal sightings near the road along the Interstate 90, between the towns of Easton and North Bend. The website was launched by Montana State University's Western Transport Institute. Project spokesperson Paula Mackay told journalists that the developers hope to get plenty of responses from the 28,000 people who drive down this section of the highway each day. Ironically, the website may very well attract animal lovers and animal rights activists, as well as those with a penchant for hunting. In all cases, the website's founders are turning to internet users and drivers for crucial information on the impact that highways have on wildlife in the area. In addition to tracking live animals, the I-90 website is also looking for information on accidents and road kill. MacKay noted that the construction of highways dramatically transforms a wild animal's natural habitat and disturbs their way of life. One of the most dramatic ways in which this takes place is by serving as barriers that limit their ability to roam freely. This web project, however, demonstrates how government agencies can work together with developers and academics using the internet to build highway infrastructure that helps wildlife cope with the existence of new roads. The website may prompt other state authorities to develop more wildlife underpasses and bridges in their respective areas. BM
