The design and use of wildlife crossing structures along the U.S. Highway 97 corridor will be the topic of Oregon State University – Cascades Science Pub titled “When Worlds Collide: Highways and Wildlife Crossings” on March 18.
Speaker Corrinne Dombrowski is a wildlife biologist and research analyst in the OSU-Cascades Human and Ecosystem and Resilience Lab. She oversees the lab’s Wildlife Connectivity Hub, which includes a collaborative effort with the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife that monitors wildlife road crossings through remote cameras placed along Highway 97 between Bend and Gilchrist, Oregon.
During her talk, Dombrowski will explore how highways can disconnect wildlife—deer, elk, badgers, bobcats and more—from food sources and habitats. She’ll also discuss how, as human development expands, many animals increasingly need assistance to cross busy highways. Additionally, she will highlight the success rate of Oregon’s large mammal crossing structures and introduce research that prioritizes locations for future crossings throughout the state.
Dombrowski began her work with the HERS Lab as an undergraduate studying natural resources at OSU-Cascades and continued working with the lab as she earned a master’s degree in environmental science from OSU.
The Science Pub will take place from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. in the Charles McGrath Family Atrium in Edward J. Ray Hall at OSU-Cascades. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for networking and dining with the presentation to follow at 6 p.m.
Registration is required and on-campus parking is free.
The event is $22 per person, which includes a light, pub-style, pre-lecture dinner. The no-host bar will offer beer, wine, cider and soft drinks.
To register, visit osucascades.edu/science-pubs. Space is limited to 120 attendees.
OSU-Cascades employees and students should contact events@osucascades.edu for tickets.
For accommodations for disabilities contact 541-322-3100 or events@osucascades.edu.
About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest growing region in the state. Surrounded by mountains, forest and high desert, OSU-Cascades is a highly innovative campus of a top-tier land grant research university, offering small classes that accelerate faculty-student mentoring and experiential learning. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges. OSU-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building a 128-acre campus with net-zero goals.