“The incredible support of people from around the world has allowed us to advance this project from a visionary idea to an impending reality. This past fall, we released new design visualizations, Caltrans will have the blueprints for the crossing completed this summer, and if fundraising remains strong, we will break ground in November,” said...
ABC 7 | Wildlife crossing over the 101 to save mountain lions getting closer to reality
The fundraising campaign to create a wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills has reached the $18 million mark, putting the groundbreaking within sight, organizers announced this week. The total raised by the National Wildlife Federation’s #SaveLACougars campaign includes a recent $1.4 million gift from a private donor. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL...
The Guardian | Can there be a Hollywood ending for the ‘Brad Pitt of mountain lions’?
“P-22 is a celebrity but he’s not a success story. He’s also a poster child for what’s going wrong here with mountain lions and in some respects all wildlife,” says Beth Pratt, the California director for the National Wildlife Federation and leader of the #SaveLAsCougars campaign. “LA is known for its infamous freeways. One of...
The Mercury News | Mountain lions get endangered species protections in parts of California
Fish and Game Commission vote moves cougars one step closer to being added to state endangered species list. In a closely watched move that could prohibit mountain lions from being shot by ranchers and other landowners from the Bay Area and Santa Cruz Mountains to Southern California, state wildlife regulators have taken a key step...
Backpacker | No, That Mountain Lion Wasn’t “Stalking” a Runner
A viral video of a mountain lion has inspired headlines about the cat “stalking” the runner who recorded it. But that’s not what the clip shows. Beth Pratt has a problem with headlines like those. “‘Stalking’ implies you’re hunting something, right?” she says. “I always say this: If a mountain lion is stalking you to...
CBS Los Angeles | ‘Largest Of Its Kind In The World’: Plans For 101 Freeway Wildlife Crossing In Agoura Hills Released
A planned wildlife crossing across the 101 Freeway between Agoura Hills and Calabasas, which will eventually be the largest of its kind in the world, is scheduled to break ground in 2021, according to new plans released Wednesday. “This crossing will save the local mountain lion population from extinction, stand as a global model for...
Fast Company | This massive wildlife crossing will help protect wildlife from L.A. drivers on the 101
For mountain lions living in Los Angeles—and yes, mountain lions do manage to survive in the second-largest city in the U.S.—the 101 freeway is a major barrier to their daily routines. The same is true for other wildlife. But plans to build a massive wildlife crossing over a 10-lane stretch of the freeway just north...
Outside | Why the Death of Mountain Lion P-56 Matters
On Monday, the National Park Service announced a significant loss to a small group of mountain lions in California’s Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. P-56, an adult male cat, was killed by a local landowner under the state’s new depredation law. He was presumed to be the father of several other animals who are...
SD27 | After Legislators Call for Urgent Action, State Officials Take Control of Depredation Process, Promise “All-Inclusive Strategy” on Mountain Lion Extinction Threat
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has taken control of the statewide mountain lion depredation process and promised an “all-inclusive strategy” in response to a letter from the chairs of key environmental committees calling for a comprehensive solution to the Southern California mountain lion extinction crisis. “P-56’s tragic death is a...
The Malibu Times | Local Couple Puts Up a Matching Gift Challenge to Help Build 101 Wildlife Crossing
Local Malibu couple Helmut and Patricia Meissner are putting up $50,000 in an effort to help build the planned wildlife crossing across the Ventura (101) Freeway near the Liberty Canyon exit in Agoura Hills. Their gift is in the form of a matching gifts challenge, where anyone making a donation of up to $50,000 to...