Application of GIS to a Baseline Survey of Vertebrate Roadkills in Baldwin County, Georgia

Physical attributes, traffic volume, and landscape patterns on a particular road are expected to influence the frequency of vertebrate road fatalities. In this study, we surveyed 22.17 km of roadways in Baldwin County, GA, 171 times (3791.1 km total) for vertebrate roadkills over a calendar year. We coded the survey route consisting of portions of US Highway 441, GA Highway 212, and Meriwether/Lowe Road-for differing habitat types and obstacles along its length, and mapped the spatial data in ArcGIS. We recorded 178 vertebrate roadkills representing 19 species, primarily mammals, with Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer; n = 46) and Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum; n = 39) most frequently observed. We calculated a roadkill rate of 8.03/km/yr. US 441, which has the most lanes, highest traffic volume, and greatest verge width, had the highest roadkill rate (10.95/km/yr) of the three sections. Seasonal differences in roadkill frequencies for the most commonly observed species appear to be related to periods of mating or dispersal.