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Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

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Coordinates: 34°08′17″N 118°43′44″W / 34.138°N 118.729°W / 34.138; -118.729
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Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing
aerial view of a vegetated overpass spanning the freeway and another road
RCDSMM's conceptual image of the wildlife crossing
Coordinates34°08′17″N 118°43′44″W / 34.138°N 118.729°W / 34.138; -118.729
CarriesWildlife
Crosses US 101 (Ventura Freeway)
LocaleAgoura Hills, California
Other name(s)Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing
Characteristics
Total length200 feet (61 m)
Width165 feet (50 m)
Location
Map

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road under construction at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills, California. The bridge will be one of the largest urban wildlife crossings in the United States, connecting the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains over a busy freeway with ten traffic lanes, when including exit lanes.

Background

The bridge is a creative way to allow animals to circulate through and thrive in areas that are fragmented and most affected by humans.[1] The crossing is particularly critical for the mountain lion population indigenous to the Santa Monica Mountains, which has declined due to the Ventura Freeway acting as a barrier in the wildlife corridor between the Simi Hills to the north and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south.[2][3] This has caused the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion population to become genetically isolated.[4]

The National Park Service has recorded a dozen mountain lions struck and killed by motorists on the section of freeway paralleling the Santa Monica Mountains since 2002 when they began a study.[5] Freeway traffic is one of the primary threats to their survival in Southern California.[6] In 2013, a mountain lion, traveling from the north and on the verge of bringing new genetic material, died trying to cross at this location.[7] Most mountain lions approach this particular area and turn back without attempting the hazardous crossing of the freeway as shown by GPS tracking collars fitted to them by the researchers.[8]

In 2020, wildlife biologists found the first evidence of physical abnormalities in the isolated population.[9] Newcomers would bring new genetic material into the mountains where the lack of genetic diversity is a serious threat to their long-term survival.[10] It would allow young mountain lions born in the Santa Monica Mountains the chance to find new territory before possibly being killed by one of the dominant older males.[11]

This will be the first bridge on the California highway system designed specifically for fostering wildlife connectivity.[12] Other wildlife such as bobcats, coyote, deer, and fence lizards will also be able to take advantage of the bridge.[13] The Ventura Freeway is a heavily travelled commuter route serving the Greater Los Angeles area and connecting Los Angeles and Ventura Counties with about 300,000 cars a day.[14] The site is about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.[15] Scientists identified Liberty Canyon as the best location for a wildlife crossing because it was one of the few areas with the lands on both sides of the freeway that are publicly owned and protected.[5][16] The crossing is situated along a wildlife corridor within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that consists of thousands of acres of local, state and federal protected lands and stretches northerly from Los Angeles into Ventura County.[17] The county of Ventura has adopted a wildlife corridor protection ordinance that restricts activities that will impede the movement of mountains lions and other wildlife between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest.[18]

Design

In 2015, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains published a design for a 165-foot-wide (50 m) and 200-foot-long (61 m) overpass for the wildlife crossing.[5][19] To encourage use by wildlife, the bridge will have lush but drought-tolerant vegetation with matte materials to deflect bright headlights and insulation to quiet the roar of cars.[20] Fencing at each end will help funnel them onto the crossing.[17] A second phase of the project will cross a frontage road that is parallel with the freeway.[21] Landscaping of the nearly 1-acre bridge (0.40 ha) includes 12 acres (4.9 ha) of habitat restoration in the area.[22] The restoration is partially needed because the 2018 Woolsey Fire burned through the wildlife corridor as it was pushed by strong Santa Ana winds in a southerly direction and crossed the freeway in this area.[23][24]

The draft environmental document was released in 2017.[25] A tunnel was considered as an alternative but it would be less able to attract usage by wildlife and wouldn’t sustain vegetation.[26] The California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, will oversee design and construction as it crosses a major transportation route.[27]

Funding campaign

In 2014, the National Wildlife Federation and the Santa Monica Mountains Fund joined forces with the #SaveLACougars campaign to raise money for the project.[28] P-22 was the inspiration for the funding drive and became the poster puma for the promotion.[29] P-22 was a mountain lion that survived crossing two freeways, the 101 and the 405, to reach Griffith Park at the easterly end of the Santa Monica Mountains and became a celebrity.[30][31] In 2014, the California Wildlife Conservation Board gave a $650,000 grant to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains for the design of the crossing.[32] In 2015, the California Coastal Commission gave a $1 million grant to Caltrans for environmental assessment.[4] Private donors were encouraged to contribute.[33] The project stalled for years due to lack of funding.[4] In May 2021, the Annenberg Foundation offered a $25M challenge grant for the project, with $35M needed to unlock the grant.[34][35][36] As of mid-April 2022, donations totaled more than $87 million with more than 5,000 individuals, foundations, agencies and businesses contributing expertise and donations.[37] The project costs around $90 million, with funding from private donations covering about 60% and the rest coming from public funds set aside for conservation purposes.[38]

Construction

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Earth Day in April 2022 with Governor Gavin Newsom, Wallis Annenberg, wildlife biologists and members of the public along with local, state and federal legislators.[39][40] Caltrans set the beginning of construction for spring 2022 with construction to be completed within two years.[41][42][43] Initial work included relocation of public utilities.[44]

References

  1. ^ Kettmann, Matt (November 3, 2022). "Why So Many Creatures Now Call Our Cities Home". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Rocha, Veronica; Curwen, Thomas (August 14, 2015). "The 'sad but not surprising death' of a wandering puma known as P-32". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Guldimann, Suzanne (February 9, 2015). "Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing granted $1 million by SCC". Malibu Surfside News. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Kim, Jed (January 29, 2015). "Liberty Canyon puma crossing gets $1 million from state". KPCC. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Groves, Martha (September 2, 2015). "Caltrans proposes wildlife overpass on 101 Freeway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Ung, Brittany (July 16, 2021). "Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing Could Break Ground This Year". Patch. Agoura Hills. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Mulholl (November 6, 2013). "DNA Results from Dead Mountain Lion Highlight Need for Liberty Canyon Wildlife Tunnel" (Press release). Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area | U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  8. ^ Smith, Sam Benson (April 22, 2022). "Here's How LA Is Going To Construct The World's Largest Wildlife Crossing". LAist. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Carlson, Cheri (September 9, 2020). "Mountain lion found in Santa Monica Mountains might be first with physical abnormalities". Ventura County Star. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Carlson, Cheri (April 23, 2022). "Hundreds celebrate Highway 101 wildlife bridge as first of its kind. Here's why". Ventura County Star. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Goldman, Jason (October 7, 2016). "How to Design a Wildlife Crossing Wildlife Will Use". KCET. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  12. ^ Garcia, Marissa (July 6, 2021). "California is betting $61 million that new highway crossings will keep wildlife safe". CalMatters. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  13. ^ Artsy, Avishay (February 20, 2018). "Here's what you need to know about the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing". KCRW. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "California breaks ground on urban wildlife crossing to span U.S. 101". NBC News. The Associated Press. April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  15. ^ "Calif. breaks ground on largest wildlife crossing in the world". SFGATE. April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  16. ^ Riley, Seth P. D.; Smith, Trish; Vickers, T. Winston (March 2018). Assessment of Wildlife Crossing Sites for the Interstate15 and Highway 101 Freeways in Southern California (PDF) (Report). National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. pp. 19–27.
  17. ^ a b "Freeway wildlife corridor is feasible, study says". Visalia Times Delta. Associated Press. September 3, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Wilson, Kathleen (February 13, 2022). "Judge upholds Ventura County law protecting wildlife corridors after 3-year-old court battle". Ventura County Star.
  19. ^ "Time Lapse of Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing Concept by RCDSMM". National Wildlife Federation California. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ Walker, Alissa (January 12, 2022). "World's Largest Wildlife Crossing Is Finally Under Way in Los Angeles". Curbed. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  21. ^ Smith, Sam Benson (January 14, 2022). "The World's Largest Wildlife Crossing Could Have A Spring Groundbreaking". LAist. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  22. ^ Marantos, Jeanette; DeAratanha, Ricardo (June 21, 2023). "Saving the next P-22 starts with a million 'hyperlocal' seeds and a bare-bones nursery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  23. ^ Sahagun, Louis. "Local mountain lions face a smaller, harsher world after Woolsey Fire". Ventura County Star. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  24. ^ Chandler, Jenna (November 9, 2018). "Ventura County's Woolsey Fire moving south, Malibu under evacuation". Curbed. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  25. ^ "US-101 Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing" (Press release). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  26. ^ Kim, Jed (January 15, 2016). "Community widely supports plan for $55 million wildlife bridge". KPCC. Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  27. ^ Sahagún, Louis (March 20, 2019). "As Southern California cougars near 'extinction vortex,' a radical rescue plan emerges". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  28. ^ Sahagún, Louis (December 11, 2021). "Mission accomplished: Beth Pratt raised millions for a freeway overpass for L.A. cougars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  29. ^ Guidi, Ruxandra (May 1, 2022). "The lion king of Los Angeles". High Country News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  30. ^ McGahan, Jason (March 18, 2022). "The Mountain Lion that's Haunting The Hipsters". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  31. ^ Simon, Scott (April 30, 2022). "California wildlife get their own highway crossing". NPR News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  32. ^ "District receives grant for Liberty Canyon corridor". Ventura County Star. November 21, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  33. ^ "Wildlife crossing over the 101 to save mountain lions getting closer to reality". Los Angeles: KABC-TV. City News Service. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  34. ^ "Plan to build wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway gets $25 million challenge grant". KTLA. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  35. ^ "National Wildlife Federation Receives Record $25 Million Annenberg Challenge Grant for Largest Urban Wildlife Crossing in the World" (Press release). National Wildlife Federation. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  36. ^ Loesing, John (May 14, 2021). "Agoura wildlife bridge gets $25-million Annenberg grant". The Acorn. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  37. ^ Sahagún, Louis (April 22, 2022). "A cougar passage rises over a deadly Southern California freeway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  38. ^ "California groundbreaking set for largest wildlife crossing". AP NEWS. March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  39. ^ Salahieh, Nouran; Myers, Erin (April 22, 2022). "Crews break ground on world's largest wildlife crossing over 101 Fwy in L.A." KTLA. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  40. ^ Orozco, Lance (April 23, 2022). "Cougar crossing coming! Work starts on Conejo Valley wildlife crossing, to be largest in world". KCLU. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  41. ^ Anaya-Morga, Laura (October 9, 2021). "Caltrans projected to break ground on wildlife bridge over 101 Freeway in January 2022". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  42. ^ Bushman, Monica; Martinez, Lita (January 27, 2021). "Massive Milestone For Massive Wildlife Crossing Over 101 Freeway". LAist. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  43. ^ Finn, Genevieve (November 3, 2020). "New Plans Released for Long-Awaited Wildlife Crossing". Malibu Times. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  44. ^ DuBose, Josh (September 20, 2022). "Construction of wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills underway". KTLA. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
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