In partnership with California
Governor Gavin Newsom, and at a press conference led by
California Natural Resources Secretary Wade
Crowfoot on Wednesday, August
21st at 9:00 a.m.
PDT – the team will share details of a new
public-private partnership initiative to build more wildlife
crossings.
Road trip and California Wildlife Reconnected
campaign images can be accessed, HERE.
LOS
ANGELES, Aug. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National
Wildlife Federation's #SaveLACougars Campaign, Big Cat Voices,
ARC Solutions, and The Wildlife Crossing Fund are officially
on the road again for stage two of the Wildlife Crossings
Across America tour – a series of road trips that will explore
and generate awareness for the need to build more wildlife
crossings and connectivity projects in California, across the United States, and beyond.
Stage two of the road trip will focus on California, cover almost 2,000 miles, and
feature over two dozen stops across the state. It all began today,
August 19th, at the
California and Nevada border with a visit to a proposed
wildlife crossing along Highway 395 near Honey Lake. Everyone
is invited to follow the team and learn about each connectivity
project on the route by visiting the dedicated website
at WildlifeCrossingFund.org/RoadTrip.
Central to the goal of the trip is the official launch of
California Wildlife Reconnected. The Wallis Annenberg
Wildlife Crossing, which broke ground on Earth Day in 2022, has
proven the transformative power of public-private partnerships in
bringing connectivity infrastructure projects to fruition.
California Wildlife Reconnected, a partnership originated by
Governor Gavin Newsom, the
California Natural Resources Agency, Caltrans, The Wildlife
Crossing Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation, seeks to scale
this successful collaborative model to build more wildlife
crossings and improve wildlife movement across the state.
"California's unmatched natural
beauty and biodiversity are at the heart of who we are as a state.
With the launch of California Wildlife Reconnected, we're
taking bold steps to bridge the gaps that have long divided our
landscapes," said Governor Newsom. "Wildlife crossings are more
than just infrastructure; they are essential to our 30x30
commitment to conserve 30 percent of our lands and coastal waters
by 2030. These crossings serve as vital lifelines, connecting
people to nature, and wildlife to its natural habitat – ensuring
that our national treasures thrive for generations to come."
"Wildlife crossings are a great win-win for people and nature,"
said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. "They reduce traffic accidents
and enable animals to move safely across their habitat. As climate
change stresses our ecosystems, habitat connectivity has never been
more important. In California,
we're planning and building more crossings fueled by investments
from our Governor, Legislature, and philanthropic leaders. This
bold new initiative promises to build momentum to build more
crossing in months and years to come. There's no time to
waste."
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Director
Tony Tavares said, "Caltrans
understands the delicate balance that must be struck between the
movement of people and goods throughout our vast state and the
movement of all fish and wildlife. The state highway connects us to
various natural phenomena, such as the Sierra Nevada, the high
desert, the coastal redwoods, and the Pacific Ocean. However, it
can also create barriers for native species that live within those
same places. That's why we are committed to researching, restoring,
and renovating passageways throughout the state. We have already
delivered more than 20 wildlife under-crossings, and we are
investing in over-structures that assist larger animal populations.
Caltrans engineers, planners, and scientists are working together
every day to provide a safer, more equitable, and more sustainable
transportation system for all animals that call California home."
In addition to the originating partners, the founding advisory
team for California Wildlife Reconnected includes a
group of expert NGO's and practitioners in the field of
connectivity: ARC Solutions, The Nature Conservancy, Planning and
Conservation League, Rock Design Associates, Wildlife Conservation
Network, Wildlands Network, Fearless Advocacy, and Pathways for
Wildlife. The California Department of Natural Resources will host
at their headquarters the first gathering of California Wildlife
Reconnected on March 21, 2025,
which will advance the state's connectivity efforts by fostering
collaboration with the many organizations, agencies, communities
and people undertaking the work.
The Wildlife Crossing Fund, a non-profit dedicated to raising
half a billion dollars from private philanthropy for wildlife
crossings and connectivity projects, has committed to securing the
financial support for California Wildlife Connected
needed to leverage public conservation dollars to catalyze
implementation of projects. Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg has already pledged a
$10 million-dollar matching grant to
The Wildlife Crossing Fund, and $2.2 million
dollars have already been raised toward the match from
Joan Randall, the Donald Slavik
Family Foundation, and the Wildlife Conservation Network.
"Through our California Wildlife Program, we at the Wildlife
Conservation Network are energized to partner with The Wildlife
Crossing Fund to address critical wildlife connectivity challenges
across the state, said Neal Sharma,
Senior Manager at the Wildlife Conservation Network. "This is just
the beginning of a comprehensive effort to leverage substantial
funding, drive policy improvements, and strengthen public-private
collaborations to protect California's biodiversity and ensure the safe
passage of wildlife for generations to come. To help launch this
partnership, the Wildlife Conservation Network has pledged
$1 million to the Wildlife Crossing
Fund, which will be further leveraged by additional investments
from WCN's California Wildlife Program and other funding
partners. Together, we're advancing proven
and innovative solutions to reconnect habitats and safeguard
the future of wildlife."
"Roads are devastating to wildlife—it breaks my heart every time
I see an animal killed by a vehicle. It's been the honor of a
lifetime working to bring the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife
Crossing to fruition, but how can I morally stop with one? We need
to make the world safer for wildlife and I am committed to raising
the needed funds to ensure more crossings happen rapidly," said
Beth Pratt, California Regional
Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation and founder
of The Wildlife Crossing Fund. "I cannot thank Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation
enough for sharing this vision, and pledging the first $10 million match toward these important efforts.
We can start funding projects tomorrow as soon as we meet the
match—and we are calling on philanthropists to step up and help us
bridge the $7.8 million gap."
Pratt will lead the road trip team with returning experts
including wildlife photojournalist and National Geographic Explorer
Steve Winter, environmental journalist and author
Sharon Guynup, and Renee
Callahan and Marta Brocki of
ARC (Animal Road Crossing Solutions). At each stop, the team will
meet with local groups working on connectivity projects for
wildlife, such as the imperiled monarch butterfly in Mariposa, a threatened mule deer migration
route along Highway 395, and a roadway in the San Jose area where newts in the thousands are
killed every year from vehicle traffic. One of the last stops of
the road trip will be the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. Now
under construction in the city of Agoura Hills, the monumental
conservation structure is slated for completion in 2026. When
completed, it will be the largest of its kind in the world and
serve as a global model for urban wildlife conservation.
The first road trip in the Wildlife Crossings Across America
series happened in September of 2023, where the team drove over
3,000 miles and featured the monumental Wallis Annenberg Wildlife
Crossing and connectivity projects in Arizona, New
Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, New
Orleans, and Florida.
For more on the Wildlife Crossings Across America road trip,
visit: WildlifeCrossingFund.org/RoadTrip. You can also experience
real-time updates by following Beth
Pratt on Facebook and her Twitter Account.
Complete "Wildlife Crossings Across America" Road Trip
Schedule
Date
|
Connectivity
Project Location
|
Mon, August
19
|
U.S. Route 395,
California and Nevada Border
|
Tues, August
20
|
Highway 50, Spooner
Summit, Lake Tahoe Basin
|
Wed, August
21
|
Press Conference
with Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot,
Sacramento
Sonora Pass Yosemite
Toad Crossing, Yosemite Valley
|
Thurs, August
22
|
Tioga Pass Toad
Crossing, Sierra Nevada Mountains
|
Fri, August
23
|
Mariposa Creek Parkway
Monarch Corridor, Mariposa
Critter Creek Wildlife
Station, Yokuts Valley
State Route 152,
Pacheco Pass
US-101, San Benito
County
|
Sat, August
24
|
Coyote Valley Open
Space Preserve, Morgan Hill
Highway 17, Lexington
Reservoir
Highway 17, Laurel
Curve
Highway 101,
Gaviota Pass
|
Sun, August
25
|
State Route 118
Undercrossings
US 101, Conejo
Grade
State Route 118, Alamos
Canyon
Interstate 15,
Temecula
|
Mon, August
26
|
Wallis Annenberg
Wildlife Crossing, Agoura Hills
Interstate 5, Tejon
Pass
Highway 58,
Tehachapi
|
Tue, August
27
|
U.S. Route 395 Wildlife
Crossing, Mammoth Lakes
|
The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest
conservation organization with over 6 million supporters
nationwide, uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a
rapidly changing world. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram.
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SOURCE The National Wildlife Federation