3.0 Affected Environment - Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority

Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS
Affected Environment
Among the fastest growing areas of the state, the Mat-Su is characterized by land clearing
activities associated with settlement and road construction. These activities promote the
growth of moose browse and in turn increase the number of moose/human conflicts
(Del Frate 2004a). Accidental human-caused moose mortality during the 5-year period
1998-2002 averaged 166 moose killed by highway vehicles and 15 by train (Del
Frate 2004a). In 1995, the Glenn Highway (from the Matanuska River north to the junction
with the Parks Highway) and the Knik-Goose Bay Road ranked fifth and sixth, respectively,
for highest moose accident rates in the state (ADOT&PF 1995). Accident rates on the Glenn
Highway along the Palmer Hay Flats SGR have decreased since those reported in 1995. For
the period 1988-1992, the accident rate for this Glenn Highway segment exceeded
1.00 accident per million vehicle miles (MVM) for its entire length (ADOT&PF 1995). The
maximum accident rate for this segment for the period 1999-2003 was 0.32 accidents per
MVM (Terrestrial Mammal Technical Report [KABATA 2006p]). The Big Lake fire in 1996
likely reduced the movement of moose through that area, which has contributed to the lower
moose-vehicle accident rate in that highway segment.
Anchorage
Moose were uncommon in the Anchorage area before the 1940s. However, the development
of Anchorage and Fort Richardson in the late 1940s resulted in the creation of moose browse
which increased moose population in the area (Sinnott 2004). Currently in the Anchorage
Bowl, approximately 200–300 moose inhabit the area year-round and 700–1,000 inhabit the
area during the winter (ADF&G 2000). In GMU 14C, prime browse occurs in opencanopied,
second-growth willow, birch, and aspen stands on burned-over military lands, and
on several hundred acres of military lands that have been rehabilitated during the last
2 decades (Sinnott 2004). Several thousand acres of lowland moose habitat are on military
lands between lower Ship Creek and Eagle River (Sinnott 2004). Moose in Anchorage are
primarily found in parks, greenways, and undeveloped space, and frequently visit suburban
neighborhoods where browse is available (ADF&G 2000). Figure 3.59 shows moose habitat
in and around the Study Area.
Hunting regulations vary; moose may be hunted, however, in every Management Area within
GMU 14C (ADF&G 2005d). The average annual moose harvest for GMU 14 from 1999
to 2004 was 587 moose (ADF&G 2005e). About 100 moose are harvested annually in local
hunts, most of which occur on the military reservations (ADF&G 2000).
An average of about 156 moose were killed each year in vehicle collisions in the entire
Anchorage area between 1994 and 1999 (ADF&G 2000). The high number of moose-vehicle
accidents in 1994–1995 (about 240) resulted from a severe winter that forced record numbers
of moose into the Anchorage area seeking relief from deep snow.
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