Underpasses are generally cheaper than overpasses, and some animals, such as deer, prefer them. Video footage from a wildlife study in the Santa Cruz Mountains by Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Pathways for Wildlife “It could be somebody from Los Angeles or San Francisco or out of state, traveling on Highway 395, and they’re going to have the benefit of that crossing because there’s not going to be the deer running across the road.” “This is one time that politics is listening to common sense… because nobody loses in this,” Whisenhunt said. Even though he disagrees with California’s ban on hunting mountain lions, Dan Whisenhunt, chief executive officer at the California Deer Association, supports building more overpasses and underpasses. Wildlife crossings have gained support across the political spectrum - both from environmentalists as well as groups that advocate for hunters. Michelle Mariscal, an ecologist for the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority, holds a sheet that assists in identifying wildlife using the Harbor Boulevard Wildlife Underpass in La Habra Heights, on June 30, 2021.
#Wildlife underpass plus
In addition to the $7 million for the bridge at Liberty Canyon, it also includes $2 million to build a tunnel for deer and mountain lions to pass under Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, plus $52.5 million for other wildlife crossings that have yet to be identified.
A bill making its way through the Legislature would encourage the state transportation agency to build more wildlife crossings.Īnd the budget lawmakers passed last month includes new funding to build animal overpasses and underpasses. This year, however, conservationists are encouraged by action at the state Capitol. “We don’t have environmental-based legislation that is resulting in protection of wildlife.” “We’re not an environmental state,” said Fraser Shilling, co-director of the Road Ecology Center at UC Davis. And even with the new funding, it’s still years away from completion. The Liberty Canyon overpass would be California’s first bridge on the state highway system designed specifically for fostering wildlife connectivity. Arizona, Florida, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming have also built successful wildlife crossings.īut California? Despite its environmentally-aware reputation, the Golden State lags in building these crossings. In Colorado, wildlife-vehicle collisions dropped by 89% after the state built two bridges to help mule deer and elk safely cross a highway.
Utah saw a 98.5% reduction in deer mortalities when it built two animal underpasses on a stretch of highway that blocked traditional migratory routes. Photo courtesy of National Wildlife Federation/Living Habitats An artist rendering of the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing, which would help restore connectivity in the Santa Monica Mountain Range, buffering mountain lions from extinction. This leads to inbreeding and deformities that result from dwindling genetic diversity. That’s because highways cut through critical habitat, making it impossible for animals from one side to breed with animals on the other. Highways aren’t just crash sites for the deer caught in the headlights they’re also a great divide that can threaten the future of an entire species. The expenses include car damage, personal injuries, emergency response, traffic impacts, lost work and the clean-up. Between 20, wildlife crashes have cost more than $1 billion.
#Wildlife underpass drivers
Many are likely unreported.Īnd they aren’t cheap - for the drivers or the government. That’s nearly 20 crashes a day, at least. The goal is two-fold: to give species at risk the space they need to find mates, and to reduce the number of car crashes that imperil both wildlife and humans.Ībout 7,000 vehicle crashes a year on California highways involve large wildlife, such as deer, according to 2018 data from the Road Ecology Center at the University of California, Davis. It’s part of a larger nationwide push to build special bridges and tunnels that help animals safely cross busy roads and freeways.
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