#SAVELACOUGARS, THE WALLIS ANNENBERG WILDLIFE CROSSING, AND THE NEXT MAJOR MOVEMENT TO RECONNECT LIFE ACROSS LANDSCAPES

A dedicated community of supporters set out to save LA’s cougar population from extinction by building a wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway. This year, that vision becomes reality. 

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is the culmination of decades of National Park Service research and vital habitat protection by groups like the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. As part of a growing commitment to restoring habitat connectivity across the US, this monumental accomplishment also supports state and national 30×30 conservation initiatives. The crossing is a critical step in a historic effort to reconnect the landscape and make the ecosystem whole. But it is also something else: a proof of concept for urban wildlife conservation across the globe. 

Over twenty years of research has shown that LA’s roads and development don’t only prove deadly for animals trying to cross. They also create islands of habitat that genetically isolate all wildlife. The mountain lion, the species most immediately at risk, would have vanished from the area within our lifetime. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing prevents this fate. Multiple research and planning efforts have also identified the 101 freeway as the most significant barrier to the ecological health of the LA region. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing bridges this barrier. 

Built over ten lanes of freeway and an access road, the crossing reconnects a biodiversity hotspot in the Santa Monica Mountains that has long been fragmented. This year, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing opens for wildlife. But the movement it inspired to reconnect life across landscapes is only just getting started…in California, across the country, and around the world. Learn more.