Reducing the impact of roads and highways on wildlife and natural habitat is the aim of an international conference in San Diego next week.

The Road Ecology Center at UC Davis is regional co-host, with the California Department of Transportation, of the 2005 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET). The conference begins Monday, Aug. 29, and ends Friday, Sept. 2.

Some highlights:

• A special session, "Impacts of Road Noise on Wildlife," will be moderated by UC Davis assistant professor Gail Patricelli. She is a member of the newly created Bioacoustics Group on campus.
• Dan Sperling, director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, will give the opening plenary address. Sperling is co-author of the book "Road Ecology: Science and Solutions."
• Alison Berry, UC Davis professor of plant sciences and director of the Road Ecology Center, will facilitate the closing discussion on future research directions.

The Road Ecology Center was established in 2004 to further our understanding of the interactions between human and natural systems in relation to road networks, and to foster new research partnerships that lead to sustainable transportation systems. It is affiliated with the John Muir Institute of the Environment at UC Davis.