June 20, 2017

Wildlife Crossings In the News

Today's Wall Street Journal features an article on wildlife crossings in the USA. They report that data from cameras on crossings in Montana show almost 23,000 animals used the crossings in 2015 and animals, including deer and bear, appear to be teaching their young to use the safe passage over the highway.

Vehicle animal collisions have been significantly reduced according to the article. "A November 2016 Western Transportation Institute report based on five years of animal-vehicle collision data showed that roadkill numbers for large wild mammals fell 80% along sections of the highway served by three of the more prominent crossings, while such deaths increased along sections with no structures." The proposed Liberty Canyon crossing is  cited in the article along with P22, our world famous, local mountain lion. Click HERE for the online WSJ article.

In related news, the MRCA closed escrow on, June 15, on 5 acres in Liberty Canyon (APN 2052-013-040). that serve to protect the wildlife corridor from development that might discourage animal migration. See our May 25 article, "Conservancy Acquires Key Parcel." The acquisition of this property was made possible through funding from Prop 1 and Prop A.