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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Like many urban singles, the mountain lion P-22 lives a solitary life in a too-small habitat. And he has a hard time finding a job in the big city.
Los Angeles park his home, the lonesome big cat has become a symbol of the shrinking genetic diversity of the world.
Hoping to fend off the extinction of mountain lions and other species. It will give you great cats, coyotes, deer, lizards, snakes, and other creatures.
The span along U.S. 101 will be more frequent. The largest stretch of 200 meters (61 meters) above 10 lanes of busy highway and a feeder road just 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of downtown LA.
"When the freeway went in, it cut off an ecosystem. We're just now seeing that, "Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation told The Associated Press.
Scientists tracking mountain lions fitted with GPS collars found that roadways are largely trapped in the Santa Monica Mountains, which run along the Malibu coast and across the middle of Los Angeles to Griffith Park, where P-22 settled.
"They can not get out of here to get dates, and they can not get in to get dates. … For those of us in LA, having a romance we are told, "Pratt said.
The result of that isolation, researchers say, is imminent genetic collapse for mountain lions. Habitat loss has driven the population to inbreeding that could lead to extinction within 15 years unless the population increases with other populations to increase their diversity, according to a study published this year by the University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Davis; and the National Park Service.
The $ 87 million bridge last month entered its final design phase. It is on track for groundbreaking within two years and completion by 2023, according to engineer Sheik Moinuddin, project manager with the California Department of Transportation. Construction will take place mostly at night and will not require any lengthy shutdowns.
Moinuddin said Caltrans considers it a "special" project that the agency hopes will inspire others like it across the state.
One of the reasons it's special, Pratt said. She's in charge of fundraising and is using P-22 – "the Brad Pitt of the cougar world" – as the poster cat for the campaign.
"He is world famous, handsome, everybody loves him," she said about the cougar that was photographed in her home park with the Hollywood sign as a backdrop.
Despite being the face of the project, P-22 is unlikely to use the bridge because of its many miles away. But many of his relatives could benefit, Pratt said.
More than $ 13.5 million in private funding, Pratt said. Officials are in the process of having an affiliation to an entity or perhaps to a Hollywood studio or star – ponies up to a significant donation, she said.
The remaining 20% will come to public funds.
Some 300,000 cars in the Agoura Hills, a small city in the United States. Residents regularly spot tarantulas, coyotes and bobcats in their yards and enjoy a short walk to hiking and biking trails that offer sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.
In the Liberty Canyon area, you can get a free ride on the bridge. 165 feet (50 meters) wide with brush and trees.
"And who knows, you might see an animal peeking over it's crossing," Pratt said.
From the perspective of that animal, the author of Clark Monica, said, "The topography will hopefully be indistinguishable from the scenery on either side," said architect Clark Stevens. His design will total about 8 acres of landscape – of which the bridge occupies about an acre.
He's working with biologists and engineers to design berms and hollows with high edges
"Ideally the animals will never know they're on a bridge," said Stevens, with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. "It's a landscape flowing over a freeway. It's putting back a piece of the ecosystem that was lost. "
Wildlife crossings – bridges and tunnels – are common in western Europe and Canada. A famous one in Banff National Park in Alberta and the Trans-Canada Highway and is frequently used by bears, moose and elk. Temecula, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of San Diego.
The Los Angeles-area bridge has almost universal support, unusual for a public works project. The draft environmental impact document received nearly 9,000 comments – with only 15 opposed, according to the NWF.
Agoura Hills resident Fran Pavley, retired state senator, said
"He came on board after learning it privately would be funded," she said.
Stevens says he's encouraged by Caltrans' devotion to the project and its promised to consider more like it.
"Every hole in the freeway should be exploited. It's a game of odds, "he said. "The more options animals have, the better off they'll be."
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