Wildlife Use of Man-made Bridges and Trails on Private Property in Central Louisiana

Lacey Hoosier^1,* and Canaan Hoosier²

¹Independent Researcher, Deville, LA 71328. ²Student Research Assistant, 19 Paul Road, Deville, LA 71328. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 25, Issue 4 (2026): 452–472

First published early online: 7 November 2026

Abstract
We examined wildlife use of 2 man-made bridges and 4 adjoining trail corridors on private land in central Louisiana to document how local species move through a mixed Pinus (pine)–hardwood floodplain. Over a 6-year period (January 2020–December 2025), camera traps recorded 49 identifiable taxa and 6 unidentified wildlife categories, enabling assessment of species presence, temporal activity, and relative use of each man-made structure. Corridors produced the highest detections, while Bridge 1 supported concentrated carnivore and mesocarnivore activity. Nocturnal events dominated, and seasonal patterns differed between structure types. Annual variation possibly reflected drought, flooding, and understory changes. These results show that small, human-maintained bridges and trails were repeatedly used as travel routes and may contribute to localized habitat connectivity on private lands.

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