The effectiveness of decommissioning roadside mineral licks on reducing moose (Alces alces) activity near highways: implications for moose-vehicle collisions

Roadside mineral licks form when road salt used to de-ice highways in winter runs off road surfaces and accumulates in roadside ditches. Some ungulates are attracted to these roadside licks as they seek to satisfy their mineral requirements. Within the distribution of moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758)) in North America, motorists often encounter moose visiting roadside licks in mid-summer, with many jurisdictions reporting summer peaks in moose-vehicle collisions (MVCs) at these locations. Our research used camera traps to monitor moose visitation of 22 roadside locations (including roadside licks, roadside ponds, and dry roadsides) in central British Columbia, Canada from December 2009–July 2020, tested the efficacy of treatment (decommissioning) methods used to reduce moose visitation to roadside licks, and roughly estimated decommissioning costs. Moose visitation to roadside licks was greatest from May–July. As we hypothesized, untreated licks were visited more often by moose than decommissioned licks, roadside ponds (absent of road salt), and dry roadsides. Decommissioning roadside licks by replacing or mixing lick waters and soils with materials, such as riprap, cedar mulch, pine logs, or dog (Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758)) fur and human (Homo sapiens (Linnaeus, 1758)) hair, is an effective and inexpensive means of reducing moose visitations to roadside areas and should increase motorist safety where roadside licks are visited by moose.