Impacts of Off-Highway Motorized Vehicles on Sensitive Reptile Species in Owyhee County, Idaho

The objectives of this study are:
1. To develop techniques for studying the impact of off-road vehicles. The typical method used to survey reptiles is the drift fence, which consists of a metal fence 2 feet high and 12 to 50 feet long, with funnel traps along the fence to capture reptiles. However, such fences are highly visible, and to be able to determine the presence of reptiles within feet of off road vehicle trails (where there would be a much higher rate of human visitation and therefore a higher rate of vandalism) required development of more subtle and less visible techniques.
2. To gather preliminary data on the actual impacts of off-road vehicles on the reptile fauna, in particular, to assess impacts on the three sensitive snake species mentioned above. One person working for one summer could not hope to answer all questions associated with the impact of off-road vehicles on reptiles.