Unless wild animals learn how to drive, they should be kept off of the highway.
New wildlife bridges would aid these creatures in their safe passage through humanity’s obstacles, which is the goal of one bill currently making its way through the California Assembly.
The Coastal Ranches Conservancy (CRC), a Gaviota-based nonprofit, is co-sponsoring Assembly Bill 2320 to promote wildlife corridors across the state, which would help animals cross the road and get to the other side.
Candice Meneghin, the new executive director of the CRC, says the State Highway System’s impact on wildlife populations is “undeniable,” with the Highway 101 being the site where many large mammals meet their untimely end.
Just this past Thursday, a bear in Santa Clarita brought traffic to a stop when it wandered onto the 14 freeway. Luckily, the bear was unscathed, but the CRC and fellow bill sponsor Friends of the Santa Clarita River point to situations like this to emphasize the need for safe wildlife passages.
In 2020, the CRC funded the Gaviota Wildlife Corridor Project, which revealed three locations with high densities of roadkill along Highway 101. Using this data, in December of 2023, Caltrans was awarded a $8 million grant under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build a wildlife underpass in nearby Gaviota State Park.
“The Gaviota Coast sees 200-300 wildlife-vehicle collisions annually, and this new underpass should substantially reduce the number of animals killed nearby,” according to the CRC.
Transportation infrastructure is also a major cause of declining trout and salmon populations in California. In 2023, a large highway repair project in Gaviota Creek resulted in the death of several endangered Southern California steelhead and the destruction of steelhead habitat.
Although Caltrans said they do not comment on “pending litigation or pending legislation,” the organization did say it is “committed to maintaining and building a reliable, safe, and climate-resilient transportation system that protects our state’s unique and beautiful wildlife.”
“To help improve migration pathways that intersect with the state highway system, we are replacing culverts and bridges and using innovative infrastructure solutions to remove barriers for fish and wildlife or build under or over crossings in new locations,” Caltrans said in its statement. “The Gaviota Wildlife Connectivity and Collision Reduction Project is an example and consists of a large undercrossing and 2.5 miles of wildlife fencing to funnel animals of all sizes to a safe passageway. Construction is scheduled between 2027 and 2029.”
Southern California steelhead are among the species also impacted by transportation infrastructure. | Credit: Courtesy NOAA
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AB 2320, the Wildlife Connectivity and Climate Adaptation Act of 2024, aims to protect critical habitat links for California’s wildlife by expanding connectivity through “key land acquisitions” and requiring annual progress reports from the Natural Resources Agency. The CRC hopes this will prioritize conservation of wildlife corridors and habitats statewide.
“Wildlife corridors enable species to travel between habitats, facilitate genetic exchange, and enhance access to vital resources,” Meneghin said. “Protecting wildlife corridors is, therefore, an investment in ecosystem health and a proactive strategy to mitigate the impacts of habitat fragmentation and climate change.”
The bill, the CRC says, would support the state’s 30×30 goal — conserving 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 — and Governor Gavin Newsom’s restorative “Salmon Strategy” in preparation for “a hotter, drier future.”
AB 2320 is in collaboration with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. The bill will soon move on to the floor for a vote.
