There have been ten biennial International Conferences on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) since its origin in 1999. The most recent conference was in Sacramento in September 2019 co-hosted by the California Department of Transportation (Cal Trans) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other sponsors and organized by the Road Ecology Center at the University of California – Davis (UC Davis). This pooled fund will support the next conference in 2021 in Vermont. ICOET continues to serve as an invaluable conduit for transportation and ecology professionals to share applicable research and best practices, and to transfer knowledge between experienced practitioners and future leaders. The ICOET program includes podium presentations, posters on current research, field trips, and exhibits on topics of interest to researchers, biologists, engineers, planners, project managers, administrators and policy makers. The folks that regularly attend ICOET represent hundreds of professionals that work for government, Tribal, academic, non-governmental and private industry from the United States and other countries. The 2019 conference had 582 participants from 14 countries. This new pooled fund will supersede the previous pooled fund (TPF 5-434) that will be completed on January 30, 2020.

Provide one ICOET Conference in 2021 for communication, technology transfer and information sharing among transportation professionals on ecology issues and transportation. The ICOET Conference for 2021 will be in Vermont cohosted by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, with support from FHWA and organized by the Road Ecology Center at the UC Davis. UPDATE 7/20/2020 The ICOET conference in 2021 will be virtual and not in-person due to the Covid 19 worldwide pandemic. Building on the 2019 ICOET Conference this 11th biennial conference in 2021 will: • Bring experts around the world to exchange knowledge & best practices on the interrelationship of ecology & transportation; • The sharing of ideas through presentations, panel discussion, breaks, lunches, receptions and field trips; • Expand the shared knowledge and learn about the cutting edge of science on the topic of ecology and transportation.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will serve as the lead state to carry out this pooled fund. The Davis Road Ecology Center at UC Davis will organize the ICOET conference in 2021. The ICOET Steering Committee and FHWA will be assisting WSDOT and the Davis Road Ecology Center in support of the ICOET Conference. Project Team: Contract Manager: Jon Peterson, WSDOT Research & Library Services, peterjn@wsdot.wa.gov, (360) 705-7499 Technical Lead: Paul Wagner, WSDOT Biology Program Manager, wagnerp@wsdot.wa.gov, (360) 705-7406

Each pooled fund partner agency will have one representative on the Pooled Fund Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and as such will be a partner in TAC conference calls. The TAC conference calls will serve to update the partners on the planning activities for the ICOET conference and to collect feedback for the conference planners. The anticipated start date for the pooled fund is August 31, 2020 and the estimated completion date would be December 31, 2021. The minimum funding contribution is $5,000 from each partner. Each partner contribution will allow two free conference registration fees to the 2021 ICOET conference in Vermont and an invitation for one representative on the Technical Advisory Committee. Partners may include government agencies, private sector entities and international partners. The minimum funding required to support this pooled fund is $25,000 from all the partners. UPDATE 7/20/2020 Each partner contribution of $5,000 will allow for three free conference registration fees for the 2021 ICOET virtual conference.