Abstract: Where roads cross watercourses, existing infrastructure (e.g. bridges and culverts) can create barriers to fish and wildlife movement. As a result, landscape connectivity is impacted. In response to this issue, Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) undertook the Road and Valley Crossings Project.

This webinar will showcase how CVC characterized existing conditions for fish and wildlife passage at bridges and culverts across the Credit River Watershed. CVC further identified priority locations for mitigation or upgrade to improve habitat connectivity. The results can inform restoration and management activities and be incorporated into long term infrastructure planning.

This strategic planning tool can help focus limited resources on priority locations that maximize connectivity benefits for fish and wildlife. The results can also be integrated with other natural asset planning tools, such as tools that identify priorities for erosion and flood mitigation.

By integrating these priorities, CVC can further strategically support future municipal infrastructure planning by identifying sites where upgrades can have multiple benefits.