Monday, August 19, 2024 The National Wildlife Federation’s #SaveLACougars Campaign, Big Cat Voices, ARC Solutions, and The Wildlife Crossing Fund are back on the road with stage two of the Wildlife Crossings Across America tour. This next phase will spotlight California, covering nearly 2,000 miles and including over two dozen stops throughout the state. The tour kicked off on August 19th at the California-Nevada border with a visit to a proposed wildlife crossing site on Highway 395 near Honey Lake.
Follow the team’s journey and discover each connectivity project along the way on the dedicated website. A major goal of this stage is the official launch of California Wildlife Reconnected. This initiative builds on the success of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which began construction on Earth Day in 2022 and showcased the power of public-private partnerships in advancing connectivity projects.
California Wildlife Reconnected, a collaboration initiated by Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Natural Resources Agency, Caltrans, The Wildlife Crossing Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation, aims to expand this model to enhance 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 30×30 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.” The advisory team for California Wildlife Reconnected includes ARC Solutions, The Nature Conservancy, Planning and Conservation League, Rock Design Associates, Wildlife Conservation Network, Wildlands Network, Fearless Advocacy, and Pathways for Wildlife.
On March 21, 2025, the California Department of Natural Resources will host the first gathering of California Wildlife Reconnected to further advance the state’s connectivity efforts by fostering collaboration among organizations, agencies, communities, and individuals. The Wildlife Crossing Fund, a non-profit dedicated to raising $500 million for wildlife crossings and connectivity projects, is working to secure financial support for California Wildlife Reconnected. Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg has pledged a $10 million matching grant, with $2.
2 million already raised 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.” Leading the road trip team is Pratt, joined by wildlife photojournalist and National Geographic Explorer Steve Winter, environmental journalist and author Sharon Guynup, and ARC’s Renee Callahan and Marta Brocki. The team will engage with local groups working on various wildlife connectivity projects, including those for the endangered monarch butterfly, a threatened mule deer migration route along Highway 395, and a San Jose roadway where thousands of newts are killed annually.
The tour will culminate at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills, a landmark conservation structure under construction and set to be the world’s largest upon completion in 2026. The first stage of the Wildlife Crossings Across America tour took place in September 2023, covering over 3,000 miles and highlighting the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing as well as connectivity projects in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, New Orleans, and Florida..
