Breaking down barriers along I-90

SNOQUALMIE PASS -- Lugging fishing nets and 5-gallon buckets, the four men tromp through the forest like kids during recess. The hills are steep. The rocks are wet. They're continually slapped by leaves and branches.

The roar of traffic from nearby Interstate 90 is muffled by the time they reach Price Creek, where they peer into its murky depths for signs of life. Using a battery-powered device, they send an electric jolt into the water and grab the stunned fish and salamanders that float to the surface.

If the creatures are large enough, a roughly half-inch radio transmitter is inserted under their skin to track their movements.

While the public's attention has been focused on the $1.2 billion expansion of I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass, these men are part of a quiet, but groundbreaking, research project aimed at reducing the death toll of animals killed crossing the interstate and restoring natural migration patterns.

"The existing I-90 with the four-lane configuration is an almost total barrier to wildlife," said Jason Smith, an environmental manager for the state Department of Transportation.

Nearly all manner of creatures -- from lizards to elk -- cross over or swim under I-90 as it bisects the state.

On Snoqualmie Pass, an animal attempting to cross the highway must dodge traffic that averages 27,000 vehicles a day. On weekends and holidays, that number can swell to 50,000.

And when the first phase of construction is finished in 2015, the freeway's capacity will increase by 50 percent.

Reducing road kill benefits both motorists and wildlife. Colliding with a deer or elk can injure, even kill a driver. Highways, meanwhile, interfere with the migration patterns that are critical to maintaining genetic diversity and availability of resources for animals.

Some of the animals being examined near Snoqualmie Pass are rarely found and little known to most people -- such as the Pacific giant salamander, which can grow to 12 inches long.

"They are the largest terrestrial salamanders in the world," said 26-year-old graduate student Brandon Fessler. "I caught one as a kid and didn't know what it was. I've always been into salamanders."

Researchers are inspecting 14 animal-crossing zones divided by a 15-mile stretch of highway east of the pass.

Unlike similar studies in the United States and Canada, this one began before construction commenced. That way, facets of the project -- such as the design of culverts -- could be adapted to aid animal movement.

Although many elements of the road work benefit animals and motorists, one overland crossing is specifically designed for animals. When complete, the 400-foot-long bridge will span the new, six-lane highway at Keechelus Dam. Funding is still needed for this feature.

"A lot of forethought went into this," said Jason Irwin, a biology professor at Central Washington University, noting that these studies are usually done after a project is completed. "They are being very progressive."

It is the only project of its kind in the nation endorsed by the Sierra Club.

"We're a very unique project because of that," Smith said. "It makes me feel like we've done something right."

Since 2008, the state Department of Transportation has given Central Washington University about $100,000 a year to study what animals live in the area, what conditions they need to thrive and where and why they cross the freeway. The money is specifically used for the migration studies, although Central is seeking outside grants for other genetic studies.

Already, research shows fish are more likely to swim beneath the highway in culverts that have a rock rather than concrete bottom. Toads travel several miles, and picas -- small rodents also known as tailless hares -- have been found living in rock piles on the edge of the highway.

An average of seven to eight of Central's undergraduate and graduate students are paid between $11 and $18 an hour each summer to study various cold-blooded animals and picas. Another team from Montana State University is studying small mammals and larger ones including elk, bear and deer.

Graduate student Jamie Lamperth has studied the migratory patterns of bull and cutthroat trout for the past three summers. While Valley residents are sweltering in the sun, he's enjoying the streams' cool, 60-degree temperature. He spends part of his days -- and sometimes his nights -- snorkeling alongside fish, and he gets his exercise by walking in creek beds.

"Forget about pilates," the 34-year-old joked. "Walk in a stream for a day and you'll get a workout."

The bad part of his job, Lamperth said, is the bugs.

"They can get really bad," he said. " You have clouds of mosquitoes in your face biting you. At some point, you give up and just let them chew."

Amber Palmeri-Miles goes out in the rain to catch western toads for her study. When she finds them, she wraps radio transmitters around their bodies and keeps track of whether they survive the winter, are eaten by snakes or run over by cars.

Following the radio signals is the most challenging, as it requires her to plow through the forest carrying a 3-foot-long antennae that has three metal cross beams of equal length.

But she still appreciates the opportunity Central has provided.

"I'm really stoked to study amphibians," the 29-year-old grad student said. "Toads easily move 2 kilometers (a little over one mile) in a day."

Thirty-two-year-old James Meidell is studying the alligator lizard, a small creature that can often fit in the palm of a hand. Each day, Meidell drives to Snoqualmie Pass from Ellensburg to check 68 buckets that act as traps buried in the ground. Sometimes a lizard has fallen into one. Other times, he finds small rodents or frogs.

The work has been time intensive but rewarding, Meidell said. But at least he got help from Cle Elum firefighters to dig through the rocky terrain.

"Twenty-five people came with shovels and a big, gas-powered auger," the grad student said. "They dug all the holes (to put the buckets in) in less than a day. It would have taken me months."

Smith, the DOT environmental manager, said he has 12 agency partners -- from the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Forest Service -- involved in the I-90 project. All have given their input as to how best to provide wildlife with clean water and healthy habitats.

"We're probably looking at trying to address this in a different way than any other project in the world," he said. "We're looking at (the crossings) and trying to build them into the project in the beginning rather than add them afterward. That's unique."