Before state Route 62 was built, there was seamless 95-mile-long habitat connectivity between the San Bernardino and Little San Bernardino mountain ranges, extending from the I-10 south of Joshua Tree National Park to the I-15 near the Cajon Pass. Now, plans for two new wildlife crossings across the highway aim to bring back some of that connectivity, while potentially saving a local population on the brink of extinction in the process.
More than 1,400 California mountain lions are now protected by the state's Endangered Species Act. On Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to list six isolated puma populations in Southern California and the Central Coast as threatened under the state law, meaning they're likely to become endangered in the absence of intervention. During the public meeting, Commissioner Erika Zavaleta said it's good that the lions aren't facing imminent extinction, explaining, "I believe it's better for us to take action before we get to that point."
From Highway 101 to Monterey Road, traffic in Silicon Valley has become deadly for wildlife trying to move between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range. Now, a major project is underway to connect preserved open spaces in the South Bay and reduce dangerous crashes for drivers. Monterey Road is a death trap, said Fraser Shilling, a researcher at UC Davis who studies how wildlife interacts with roads.
