It sounds like the plot of a Disney movie: A mountain lion prevented from finding a mate because he’s trapped by Los Angeles freeways becomes famous and inspires the construction of the world’s largest wildlife overpass .
But it really happened.
“He was surviving in a much smaller space than any male mountain lion – eight square miles,” said Beth Pratt, California director of the National Wildlife Federation. “The average male mountain lion territory is 150 miles. »
The cougar, named P-22, became a celebrity among Hollywood stars who sometimes spotted him as he roamed the neighborhoods near Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
“A mountain lion lived in Los Angeles and people didn’t fear it,” said Pratt, who commemorated the P-22 on his arm with a tattoo. “They considered him a neighbor; they were having dinner and he walked past their dining room in the evening and they shared a photo and said, “Hey, P-22 visited me.” » «
One of the highlights of his career was receiving an email from actor Alan Ruck – of HBO’s “Succession” and Pratt’s favorite film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” – saying he had spotted the P-22 from the deck of his Hollywood Hills home.
Because of the P-22’s popularity, people wanted to help the mountain lion — and others like it — roam areas beyond Los Angeles’ busy six-lane 101 Freeway. There was interest in the idea of a wildlife overpass, but financing it was another issue.
So Pratt, who feels most comfortable outside in casual clothes and hiking shoes, found herself in posh Bel Air mansions, begging for handouts.
Donations poured in from celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand and David Crosby, as well as support from residents of Watts in South Los Angeles.
Watts residents consider the P-22 “a social justice hero,” Pratt said.
“He’s someone who was also impacted by the injustice of putting highways through communities,” she said. ” That you are [living in] Beverly Hills, whether you are [living in] Watts, we all come together around wildlife.
Find the right place
Some 300,000 to 400,000 cars will pass under the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Viaduct each day when it opens in two years.
The passageway features specially designed noise walls, as well as natural noise walls made of tall trees and lush plantings. Everything is designed to filter out the noise from the highway, because most animals are afraid and turn around if it is too noisy.
Engineers also take into account animals’ fear of bright lights.
“All the lights from these lighthouses have a deterrent effect on wildlife,” Pratt said. “We’re actually designing light barriers – not just at the crossing but also on the approach – so they don’t get scared and turn around, which is happening. »
The wildlife crossing is a public-private project, led by the National Wildlife Federation and the California Department of Transportation. About half of the $100 million cost was funded by private donations, including $26 million from philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, whose contribution helped move the project forward.
For 20 years, the National Park Service searched for exactly where the highway overpass should go.
“You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to cross that road,” Pratt said. “This highway is so big and so loud and noisy, and there are too many lights…the animals don’t even try.” »
This is not the first wildlife crossing
The first wildlife crossings were built in France in the 1950s. They are used throughout Europe and are particularly popular in the Netherlands.
Wildlife corridors have even worked with animals not considered particularly intelligent.
When vehicle collisions were blamed for much of the decline in the koala population in Queensland, Australia, engineers created a series of tunnels and bridges to help them avoid busy roads.
But Australian wildlife officials predicted koalas – known for relaxing in trees and getting high on eucalyptus trees – would not understand them. So those same wildlife officials were pleasantly surprised when the koalas took less than three weeks to start using them regularly.
In Canada, a series of wildlife bridges and underpasses in Banff National Park have been very successful. Wildlife corridors pass above and below the giant Trans-Canada Highway, which bisects the park.
Dozens of large animals use the system, including grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk and cougars. The system is credited with helping grizzly bears maintain their population by providing access to partners on both sides of the park.
And that’s exactly what needs to happen at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass, where the highway intersects local cougar habitat.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, one to two million large animals die on U.S. roads each year due to car accidents. Pratt says this number is “way underestimated” since these are only the accidents actually reported.
“And if you add in the little guys – the frogs and the butterflies – we’re talking billions,” Pratt said.
She believes the passages have broad support: “It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is, where you live, it doesn’t matter. Most people love wildlife and don’t like to see them get hit. »
There are also economic benefits, according to Pratt, since these are infrastructure projects that create jobs and have human security benefits.
They’re an environmental problem with a simple, proven solution, Pratt says, and the only thing standing in the way of building them is money.
“There is no bad guy. We don’t need to understand technology. We just need funding.
Rewilding of a Los Angeles freeway
Aside from its massive scope, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is different from other wildlife overpass systems around the world in that it will host an entire ecosystem above it.
A nearby nursery grows native fire-resistant plants that will eventually cover the walkway.
“We’ve been collecting seeds for years now to adapt them to the surrounding ecosystem, and that’s important with climate: wildlife and plants need options,” according to Pratt.
Invasive plants that fuel fires – including the ubiquitous black mustard – will be removed from the area. Nearby power poles had to be moved to allow the level crossing. They will therefore now be placed underground, which will also contribute to fire resistance.
“Not only are you going to have wildlife like mountain lions and bobcats running through it, but you’re also going to have monarch butterflies laying their eggs on milkweed on it, you’re going to have western fence lizards living on it,” a Pratt said.
“Part of this project is restoring the landscape, not just on the crossing, but around it, to what it should be. So this is going to help with a lot of things, as well as helping with fire hazards.
P-22 won’t be around to use the wildlife crossing he helped inspire. In December 2022, just months after the National Wildlife Federation and the California Department of Transportation broke ground on the bridge, the cougar died.
Although his death was heartbreaking, Pratt said he lived a long life for a mountain lion.
“But more than that, he used his fame for good. I call him “the ultimate cougar celebrity influencer.”
Her story, she said, ensured a future for other mountain lions in the area.
“And we owe him a lot of gratitude.” It inspired the construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. We wouldn’t have it without him.
2023-10-09 00:02:30
#Lonely #mountain #lion #leads #worlds #largest #wildlife #overpass #News24
