A vision to provide safe passage for mountain lions above 10 lanes of whizzing traffic near Los Angeles faced a foe: time.
Genetically isolated pumas hemmed in by the 101 Freeway were showing birth defects and needed an outlet fast.
A massive philanthropic challenge grant allowed the $92-million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing to advance rapidly and encouraged state investment — and the underlying collaborative model has inspired a new effort to build passages for animals across the state.
Wednesday saw the launch of California Wildlife Reconnected, an initiative dreamed up by Gov. Gavin Newsom, state agencies and nonprofits to leverage public and private resources to develop and swiftly implement a statewide plan for wildlife connectivity.