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Districts Make the Difference
MAKE THE
CSDA’s Districts Make The Difference (DMTD) public outreach campaign is committed to promoting the important work of special districts. Today we shine the spotlight on the groundbreaking work of one of our members.
Wilderness areas in Southern California are often fragmented by freeways. This has become a problem in the Santa Monica Mountains, particularly among the mountain lion population. Wildlife is either unable to migrate or put themselves in great danger attempting to cross the freeways that bisect their habitats.
According to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains (RCDSMM), “migration is necessary to maintain genetic diversity, without which populations move toward local extinction.” Thankfully, RCDSMM has a plan to ensure migration continues. The district has partnered with Caltrans, the National Park Service, the National Wildlife Federation, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to design the first two of three design phases of the Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon.
The proposed Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon will be a 165-footwide, 200-foot-long crossing that spans Highway 101. This will allow mountain lions and other wildlife to cross safely from one side of the freeway to the other. The crossing will include a larger habitat area to encourage use by animals. The area was badly damaged by the 2018 Woosley Fire, but is currently being restored by the RCDSMM with great success.
As RCDSMM Executive Officer and Architect Clark Stevens noted in the New York Times, “Ideally the animals will never know they’re on a bridge. It’s landscape flowing over a freeway. It’s putting back a piece of the ecosystem that was lost.”
The completed design development phase model, drawings and renderings were delivered to the Project Partners and CalTrans last year, for their use in completing their Final Design with their consultant team. The RCDSMM has continued to support the project as a partner in the CalTrans Final Design Oversight Committee. The project is scheduled to break ground soon and be completed by 2023.
Kudos to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains for your hard work and innovative solutions! We can’t wait to see this project come to life.
Interested in learning about special districts that are making a difference? Follow Districts Make the Difference on Facebook and Twitter. If there’s a special district making a difference in your life, email info@ DistrictsMakeTheDifference.org. We’re always interested in hearing about new stories we can share.
