How Much Do You Know About Wildlife Migration and Free-Flowing Rivers?
Take our quiz to test your waterways knowledge
- In 2016, researchers documented this animal making the longest known land-based migration in the lower 48 states, traveling more than 240 miles from the low elevation winter range of Wyoming’s Red Desert to the mountain slopes of northeast Idaho. Is it a/an:
- Mule deer
- Antelope
- Bison
- Elk
Scientists began tracking mule deer 255, a doe, on March 11, 2016, when they fitted her with a GPS-enabled collar near Superior, Wyoming. On June 15, she was recorded 242 miles northwest near Island Park, Idaho, about a hundred miles farther than the previous longest mule deer trek. She has since repeated the migration.
- Which of the following is not an impediment to large animal migration?
- Rivers
- Fences
- Highways
- Development
River crossings can be challenging for some species, but they are a regular part of many large animals’ migration routes.
- Collisions between large animals and vehicles are a danger to travelers and migrating animals. They’re also expensive. How much do these collisions cost Americans each year?
- $8 million
- $15 million
- $500 million
- $8 billion
U.S. drivers have an estimated 1 million to 2 million collisions with animals each year, costing American taxpayers more than $8 billion and causing 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries to people annually, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
- How many of the more than 90,000 dams on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams list need repair or are still operating beyond their life expectancy?
Jennifer Sharp/Getty Images - Less than 1 percent
- 10 percent
- 20 percent
- About a third
The average age of our nation’s dams is 56 years, and by 2025, 7 in 10 U.S. dams will be more than 50 years old, according to the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- How do dams affect rivers?
David Gregg/Getty Images - Adversely affect water quality, including increasing water temperatures, sometimes to levels that are lethal for aquatic wildlife
- Alter the habitat and block the movement of fish and other aquatic species
- Trap sediment and prevent it from moving downstream
- All of the above
Removing dams provides many benefits for rivers and wildlife, such as restoring access to upstream fish habitat, and in some cases, replenishing beaches, which in turn, builds important nearshore habitat for wildlife and fisheries.
- Outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing, generates how many U.S. jobs each year?
RubberBall Productions/Getty Images - 258,000
- 1 million
- 3.4 million
- 7.6 million
Outdoor activities also generate $887 billion in consumer spending, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.
- A culvert is a structure, often a metal or concrete pipe, that allows a river to flow from one side of a road or trail to the other. How might a culvert pose a serious barrier to the natural movement of fish and other animals?
- Set above the riverbed, creating a fall that restricts wildlife movement
- Too small, constricting flow and increasing water velocity
- Shallow placement, resulting in inadequate water flow
- All of the above
To facilitate passage for fish and other animal species, river diversions should resemble as closely as possible the natural conditions of the stream and the banks.
- What percent of U.S. rivers are federally protected?
Olympic National Park - Less than 1 percent
- 25 percent
- About half
- All
Less than 1 percent of the United States’ nearly 3.7 million miles of rivers are federally designated as Wild and Scenic.
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You missed a few, but we hope you learned something about wildlife migration and free-flowing rivers!
5|Pretty good—you’re on your way to becoming a wildlife migration and free-flowing rivers expert!
8|Congratulations, you’re an expert on wildlife migration and free-flowing rivers!
This article was previously published on pewtrusts.org and appears in this issue of Trust Magazine.
