Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

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Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing
Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing concept by RCDSMM.png
RCDSMM's conceptual image of the wildlife crossing
Coordinates 34°08′17″N118°43′44″W / 34.138°N 118.729°W / 34.138; -118.729
CarriesWildlife
CrossesUS 101 (1961 cutout).svg US 101 (Ventura Freeway)
Locale Agoura Hills, California
Other name(s)Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing
Characteristics
Total length200 feet (61 m)
Width165 feet (50 m)
Location
Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is an under construction vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road in Agoura Hills, California. Originally called the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing, the bridge will be the largest wildlife crossing in the world, connecting the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains over a ten-lane freeway at Liberty Canyon.

Contents

Background

Over the last several decades, the Santa Monica Mountains's mountain lion population has declined and become genetically isolated, [1] primarily due to the Ventura Freeway that prevents them from moving between the mountains and the Simi Hills to the north. [2] [3] Since 2002, at least a dozen mountain lions have been killed on the freeway [4] (as has one black bear [5] ), and GPS tracking collars show that most approach the freeway then turn back, [6] while only one was able to repeatedly cross. [7]

In 2020, biologists found the first evidence of physical abnormalities in the isolated population. [8] Wildlife crossings, meant to allow animals to circulate through habitats fragmented by human development, [9] would allow newcomers to bring new genetic material to the area [10] and would also allow mountain lions born in the area a chance to leave, in the case of males before they are killed and in the case of females to prevent future inbreeding. [11]

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will be the first bridge in the California highway system designed specifically for wildlife connectivity. [12] Scientists identified Liberty Canyon, about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, [13] as the best location for the crossing in a 1990 study commissioned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. [14] 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 federally protected lands that stretch from Los Angeles into Ventura County. [15]

Other species expected to benefit from this crossing include bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, birds of prey, skunks, rodents, American badgers, American black bears, fence lizards and mule deer. [16] [17]

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. [4] [18] 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. [19] Fencing at each end will help funnel them onto the crossing. [15] A second phase of the project will cross a frontage road that is parallel with the freeway. [20]

Landscaping of the nearly 1-acre bridge (0.40 ha) includes 12 acres (4.9 ha) of habitat restoration in the area. [21] 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. [22] [23]

The draft environmental document was released in 2017. [24] A tunnel was considered as an alternative, but it would be less able to attract usage by wildlife and wouldn’t sustain vegetation. [25] The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) oversaw design and construction as it crosses a major transportation route. [26]

Funding campaign

In 2014, the National Wildlife Federation, the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, and the #SaveLACougars campaign began to raise money for the project. [27] The inspiration for the project, as well as the funding drive's "poster puma", was P-22, [28] 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. P-22 became a local celebrity; [29] [30] his death in 2022 would further stimulate awareness and funds for the campaign. [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. [1] Private donors were encouraged to contribute. [33] The project stalled for years due to lack of funding. [1] In May 2021, the Annenberg Foundation pledged to donate another $25 million once the project raised $35 million. [34] [35] [36] As of mid-April 2022, donations totaled more than $87 million, with more than 5,000 people, 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 moving public utilities. [44] As of mid-2024, the work is expected to finish by early 2026. [45]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kim, Jed (January 29, 2015). "Liberty Canyon puma crossing gets $1 million from state". KPCC. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  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. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Groves, Martha (September 2, 2015). "Caltrans proposes wildlife overpass on 101 Freeway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  5. ↑ Martinez, Christian (July 21, 2023). "BB-12, rambling black bear who toured beaches and mountains, is killed on 101 Freeway". Los Angeles Times .
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "How the deaths of mountain lions have some worried about losing them entirely from the Santa Monicas". KCLU. June 23, 2023.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ Kettmann, Matt (November 3, 2022). "Why So Many Creatures Now Call Our Cities Home". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  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. ↑ "Calif. breaks ground on largest wildlife crossing in the world". SFGATE. April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  14. ↑ Treisman, Rachel (December 22, 2022). "The legacy of Hollywood mountain lion P-22 lives on in wildlife conservation efforts". WBUR. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Freeway wildlife corridor is feasible, study says". Visalia Times Delta. Associated Press. September 3, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ Thebault, Reis (May 25, 2024). "Amid roadkill epidemic, California builds world's largest wildlife bridge". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  17. ↑ Artsy, Avishay (February 20, 2018). "Here's what you need to know about the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing". KCRW. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Time Lapse of Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing Concept by RCDSMM". National Wildlife Federation California. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015– via YouTube.
  19. ↑ Walker, Alissa (January 12, 2022). "World's Largest Wildlife Crossing Is Finally Under Way in Los Angeles". Curbed. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  20. ↑ Smith, Sam Benson (January 14, 2022). "The World's Largest Wildlife Crossing Could Have A Spring Groundbreaking". LAist. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ Sahagun, Louis. "Local mountain lions face a smaller, harsher world after Woolsey Fire". Ventura County Star. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  23. ↑ Chandler, Jenna (November 9, 2018). "Ventura County's Woolsey Fire moving south, Malibu under evacuation". Curbed. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  24. ↑ "US-101 Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing" (Press release). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  25. ↑ Kim, Jed (January 15, 2016). "Community widely supports plan for $55 million wildlife bridge". KPCC. Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  26. ↑ Sahagún, Louis (March 20, 2019). "As Southern California cougars near 'extinction vortex,' a radical rescue plan emerges". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ Guidi, Ruxandra (May 1, 2022). "The lion king of Los Angeles". High Country News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  29. ↑ McGahan, Jason (March 18, 2022). "The Mountain Lion that's Haunting The Hipsters". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  30. ↑ Simon, Scott (April 30, 2022). "California wildlife get their own highway crossing". NPR News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  31. ↑ Thebault, Reis (May 25, 2024). "Amid roadkill epidemic, California builds world's largest wildlife bridge". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  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.
  45. ↑ "World's largest wildlife crossing on track to open by early 2026". State of California. May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
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