Curious Iowa: Who picks up roadkill?

Lisa Paulos, of Cedar Rapids, has picked up “countless” small animals in her neighborhood over the years and given them a formal burial. She wondered who picks up the other animals in Cedar Rapids? And what happens to them? Burt Congdon, of Cedar Falls, had the same question and wondered where carcasses are disposed of.

Congdon and Paulos wrote to Curious Iowa — a Gazette series that answers readers’ questions about our state, its people and culture — to find the answer.

To learn about the process firsthand, The Gazette rode along with Iowa Department of Transportation highway technician Jeremiah Frueh during a morning cleanup last month. The Iowa DOT handles roadkill cleanup on state highways, while city departments pick up carcasses within Cedar Rapids.

How often is roadkill picked up?

The smell of skunk was an obvious clue as to the type of animal Jeremiah Frueh was about to scrape off the highway shoulder. With a pitchfork in his gloved hands, Frueh removed the carcass and tossed it away from the roadway. Highway technicians like Frueh dispose of most carcasses this way, placing them beyond the 20-foot buffer cut along the highway. Within minutes, he was back in the cab of his truck, scanning the roadway for trash and more carcasses. This is what highway techs call “junking.”

“The correct term is litter pickup, but everybody calls it junking for short,” Frueh said.

“Generally, we don’t go out there and pick up everything because we’d be out there all day in like one mile section of road and we’d never get it done.”

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Litter cleanup is a small, but important, part of a highway technician’s job. They also take care of painting, mowing, and patching roadways. Plus, they conduct the maintenance on almost all of the department’s vehicles.

Highway Maintenance Supervisor Beau Weimar told The Gazette that the Cedar Rapids garage’s area of responsibility runs from the I-380 rest area south of Cedar Rapids at the Linn County line to Boyson Road. It also covers Highway 100 and Highway 30 from Morgan Creek to out by Lisbon “about a mile before the two lane begins.” In the winter, Cedar Rapids covers Highway 151 from Amana to Highway 30, but in the summer, the Newhall garage takes care of litter pickup.

Other days are added as needed but Mondays and Fridays are priority junking days.

“That’s where we get hit the hardest because after the weekend, stuff is piled up and before the weekend you want to get as much off there so there’s less on Monday,” Frueh said.

Litter pickup, including roadkill, is a matter of driving around looking for things to dispose of. If he’s junking all day, Frueh will take a “slow roll” on I-380, picking up a lot of small items, especially inside the median.

“Fireball seems to be Linn County’s favorite shooter to drink while driving and throw out the window,” Frueh said. “Those are some of the things you’re never gonna see driving by at a high speed … all the plant life really covers up how bad the littering problem is.”

Are carcasses ever buried?

The Iowa DOT’s accepted disposal methods for dead animal include burial, relocations, or dropping a carcass off at a landfill or firm licensed by the Department of Agriculture for dead animal disposal. But Frueh said the Iowa Department of Natural Resources prefers that carcasses are left out as a food source for scavengers.

“Sometimes, if it’s a long weekend, [carcasses] will be almost completely gone by the time they get around to it.”

Weimar said that when deer are hit on bridges or along walls on I-380, the carcass will be loaded into a truck and moved to another suitable location.

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Taking care of roadkill can be a smelly, dirty job. Frueh said that keeping a deer carcass in one piece while moving it can be challenging “because the deer tend to get really slimy really quick.” If the weather is hot and damp, carcasses rot faster. In the winter, roadkill pickup can be easier.

“Sometimes they can be frozen to the ground which is a little bit harder to deal with but not significantly,” Frueh said. “They’re frozen so they don’t smell as bad and they don’t get as gooey as fast.”

Do workers ever get used to the smell? Frueh has been a highway technician for two years and in his previous law enforcement job, he moved dead deer as well. Even with that experience, he said, “Sometimes you think you’re used to it and then you get a particularly bad deer or raccoon and you realize you’re not used to it.”

The strangest animal Frueh has seen was a “really large beaver” on Highway 100. Common animals are deer, raccoons, opossums and snapping turtles.

“I had a couple of beavers and various birds, geese and hawks.” Frueh said.

Dead deer, along with bald eagles and bobcats, are reported to the Iowa DNR. Deer reports help inform where to place deer crossing signs along highways. Last year Frueh estimated that three to four deer were picked up daily.

“Normally [Highway] 30 is like a killing field for deer.” Frueh said. “They’re just all over the place out here.”

During The Gazette’s ride-along, Frueh picked up a dead fawn. After disposing of the body, he recorded the mile marker where the body was found in the 511 app.

If you hit a deer, Weimar said the driver should pull off the road onto the right shoulder at a safe location, like an off ramp if possible.

“If police respond, Iowa DOT will receive a notification about the deer and location,” Weimar said. “Otherwise, they can report it using any non-emergency number by calling Iowa DOT or their local city offices.”

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How does roadkill pickup differ in town?

Roadkill pickup procedures vary by city and the responding department, and it also is dependent on the type of animal.

In Cedar Rapids, the Streets Department handles deer, Solid Waste picks up small animals, like rabbits and raccoons, and Animal Control takes care of dogs and cats. Animal Control scans domestic animals for a chip and if one is found, the owners will be notified.

Cedar Rapids residents can report roadkill on the My CR app. There, they can select the animal type and the report will be sent to the appropriate department.

The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency accepts animal carcasses for disposal. Solid Waste Agency Communications Director Joe Horaney said people dropping off deer carcasses are charged a $50 special handling fee for the hole and the regular tipping fee — $48 per ton — for the carcasses. Larger animals cost $75 per carcass.

If you are planning to take multiple deer carcasses at a time or a large animal carcass, like a horse or cow, the Solid Waste Agency requests a call so a hole can be dug. Carcasses must be dropped off by 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.

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Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com