A trail camera not far from the 101 wildlife crossing in Agoura Hills recently picked up a mountain lion and two kittens passing through the area, officials said.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Liberty Canyon is scheduled to open later this year. Billed as one of the largest urban wildlife crossings
, the bridge will span the busy freeway, a barrier for mountain lions, mule deer and other wildlife in Ventura and Los Angeles counties."Just in the past three weeks, even with all this construction going on, it's amazing the amount of wildlife that is right where we're standing," said Jeff Sikich, a wildlife biologist with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
He spoke at an Oct. 8 briefing on the project, held not far
from the construction. A nearby remote trail camera showed coyotes, bobcats and deer making regular appearances within a matter of weeks, Sikich said.
"I was super excited to see this adult female mountain lion and two older kittens cruise through," he said.
A week after that, another mountain lion walked by.
The park service has studied mountain lions and other animals for decades to see how they survive in an increasingly urban area. In that time, researchers found wildlife approach both sides of the 101 but few attempt to cross it.
The small cougar population in the Santa Monica Mountains faces steep odds, boxed in by development and highways. The obstacles have led to inbreeding, low genetic diversity and lions killing each other. Crossings, however, can add connections to other areas and reduce isolation, officials said.
The spot near Liberty Canyon is one of the few places left in the area that has natural habitat on both sides of the 101. The land is also publicly owned and protected from development.
When the crossing opens, dozens of cameras and devices will document the wildlife that show up. The park service will be monitoring mountain lions, mule deer, foxes, bobcats and coyotes via GPS collars to see how they're moving relative to the freeway and crossing.
Plans also call for placing a variety of equipment, from trail cameras to thermal imaging devices, on the 210-foot-long vegetated crossing.
The close monitoring will help researchers study what animals are crossing, how often they do so, and through longterm research, how it may affect wildlife populations, officials said.
Biologists also recently discovered a litter of mountain lion kittens in the Simi Hills, north of the freeway, Sikich said. Someday, he said, one of the three kittens could end up on the crossing, head into the Santa Monicas and potentially increase the population's genetic diversity.
During the briefing, officials said the crossing remained on track to open in December. A mix of public funds, private grants and donations was raised to pay for the estimated $114 million project, including the designs, studies and construction.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Camera shows mountain lion, kittens near Highway 101 wildlife crossing
