Politicians including Gov. Gavin Newson, 3rd from left, gather for a photo during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing April 22 in Agoura Hills. Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers
A plan more than a decade in the making that will give animals in the area safe passage across the 101 Freeway took a major step forward on Friday with groundbreaking at the proposed wildlife bridge location in Agoura Hills.
Some 500 dignitaries and guests, including a late arrival by Gov. Gavin Newsom, assembled on the north side of the freeway at Liberty Canyon to see shovels planted at the site where the estimated $90-million land bridge will be built.
The green-laced Santa Monica Mountains, home to more than a dozen mountain lions whose existence is being threatened by risky forays across local highways, served as a backdrop to the event as officials expressed delight that the mega-project–slated to be the world’s largest wildlife crossing at 210 feet long–is finally underway.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a name given to the land bridge in thanks to the Annenberg Foundation’s $25-million contribution to the project, will span 10 lanes of roadway including Agoura Road and will give not just mountain lions but other animals such as deer, foxes and bobcats a way to stretch habitats from the Simi Hills in the north to the Santa Monicas in the south.
The animals-only crossing will reconnect an entire ecosystem that has long been fragmented by an almost impenetrable barrier for wildlife: the 101 Freeway and its more than 300,000 vehicles a day.
Speakers gave multiple references to P-22, the famous Hollywood cat, whose ability to survive in the Southern California
Wallis Annenberg speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing April 22 in Agoura Hills.
urban forest has delighted conservationists and given hope for the future of species.
“We’re going to give this mountain lion a future,” said Beth Pratt, California director for the National Wildlife Federation and project leader along with Caltrans. “We’re not going to let this mountain lion population go extinct on our watch,” Pratt said.
A spokesperson for Caltrans said the 165-foot-wide crossing will be the same width as 10 lanes of freeway. Underneath the land bridge, 10 lanes of the 101 itself. The evenings-only construction will take about three years to complete. Throughout the construction, all north-south lanes of the highway will remain mostly open, Caltrans said.
“It’s going to be very inconvenient for the local residents here . . . but after it’s finished the plusses will far outweigh the minuses,” John Luker, president of the Sky Valley Volunteers habitat restoration group, told The Acorn.
A quarter-century of research by National Park Service biologists documented the effects of habitat fragmentation and pointed to the importance of connectivity in the region, an effort that culminated in the wildlife overpass that broke ground on Friday, Earth Day.
The Wildlife Federation, Caltrans, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy formed a partnership to make the Liberty Canyon overpass a reality.
“It’s super exciting to see the science that we’ve worked so hard on for many years result in concrete action to benefit wildlife,” said Seth Riley, wildlife branch chief for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “This is a pivotal moment for conservation and for our park.”
Seth Riley, left, of the National Parks Service and Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation take a photo with a cutout of the mountain lion, P-22 during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing April 22 in Agoura Hills.
Among the guests of honor at Friday’s event was Miguel Ordeñana, the biologist who discovered the existence of P-22 in 2012.
“He became a catalyst for this movement. Other tireless storytellers took the story from there,” Ordeñana said.
The groundbreaking comes just one day after P-97, an 18-month-old male cougar, was reported killed on the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center. It is the second mountain lion death on area freeways in less than a month.
Hundreds of people gathered near the Liberty Canyon Trailhead for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing April 22 in Agoura Hills.
Still, Friday’s mood was festive as officials welcomed the beginning of construction and the national spotlight that it will bring.
“Agoura Hills is a special place and now the world is going to know that too,” said Deborah Klein Lopez, the city’s mayor.
“This is not just an L.A. story and a California story, this is around the world, and we did it,” Pratt said.
AERIAL VIEW–A rendering of the wildlife crossing. Courtesy National Wildlife Federation/Living Habitats