Potentially Life-Saving News for Ohio Drivers and Wildlife!

Animal Welfare

May 17

Though roadkill reporting may not seem like good news, a crowdsourced public-use roadkill reporting app was recently developed and made available by Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to identify “hotspots,” areas on roadways where collisions with animals tend to concentrate.

The Survey123 app has the potential to translate to the creation of wildlife crossings – overpasses, underpasses, tunnels, and bridges — that increase public and animal safety, and reconnect fragmented habitats for wildlife.

Raven Bugala of Columbus and Lucy McKernan of Seven Hills, Ohio, motivated ODOT and ODNR to deploy an easy access roadkill app.

Now, it’s up to us all, through crowdsourcing, to make the Survey123 app worthwhile.

It’s easy to use. Drivers should not use the app while driving, but make mental notes of roadkill locations, then pull over to a rest area or other safe, legal spot to upload data.

It is hoped early adoption will lead to normalization and help demonstrate volume and usefulness quickly, so state agencies can turn the data into siting decisions for wildlife crossings.

Crowdsourcing is necessary for meaningful data, so the public is encouraged to report roadkill data as accurately, and as soon as possible.