Action #1 – Write a quick comment to the county to add wildlife crossings into their new freeway work.
Mountain lions and other wildlife attempt to cross Hwy #101 and many times their journey ends in death. The project to create a “greenway” over the road is now underway at Liberty Canyon. (The image is an artist concept of what the finished overpass will look like.)
With fires raging through our future, our first thought was that animals will be trapped in fire areas, with no escape. But that’s just a one part of the issue. Collisions with animals on the highway are also dangerous for humans. About 200 people die every year from animal collisions and the incidence is increasing. Wildlife bridges have been very effective in helping avert these tragic and expensive incidents and to preserve endangered species. (Lots of information about animal crossings in this National Geographic article.)
Jim Hines, from the Sierra Club is working to get more of these bridges created, but he needs our help!. Here is his letter to us.
“Good Morning Ventura County Friends:
The County of Ventura and CalTrans are in the very early stages of planning a 101 freeway widening project which would extend from Thousand Oaks to the City of Ventura.
And I would like during the construction process to have CalTrans construct a wildlife overpass over the 101 in the Conejo Grade area.
The Conejo Grade is a known wildlife crossing and the National Park Servivce has documented a number of cases where mountain lions and other wildlife have crossed the 101 freeway in the Conejo Grade area.
I have joined the efforts of Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks in urging people to comment in favor of a 101 Conejo Grade wildlife overpass to be constructed during the 101 widening process.
This is the study area information here. Click on “PUBLIC IMPUT” at the top and make a comment in support of a “greenway” bridge.
Example comment: While CalTrans is planning a freeway widening project, please have them include a wildlife crossing in the Conejo Grade area, is many mountain lions and other animals try to cross there.
Action #2 – Call Newsom to sign AB 1788 and save the lives of our wildlife.
HE STILL HASN’T SIGNED, and there’s opposition from both the companies that make these products and those that use them. He needs to hear from us!
Original post: Wed. 9/16: Emergency! Call Newsom to sign AB 1788!
Up in the Santa Monica Mountains, P-47 was just going about his job. The mountain lion, studied by researchers since he was 4 weeks old, was part of an ecosystem that keeps rodent populations under control. However, due to eating prey animals dosed with anticoagulant poisons, internal bleeding caused him to die a slow and painful death.
(from original post on 7/8/19) AB 1788 – Pesticides: use of anticoagulants. Anticoagulant rodenticides (rat poison) indiscriminately destroys ecosystems and poisons native wildlife such as bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, owls and hawks. These rodenticides are also one of the top ten pet toxins, injuring or killing household pets who eat either affected rodents or the bait itself. In addition, more than 4,400 children under age 6 were poisoned with these long-acting toxins in 2016, which disproportionately harmed those from low-income families. (More information from Project Coyote and Marilyn Krieger’s article “Rat Poisons Aren’t Selective” here.) We can do better.
UPDATE: After a two-year fight, this bill was finally placed on Governor Newsom’s desk at 3:00 pm yesterday! Now we need him to sign it!
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I would like Governor Newsom to sign YES on AB 1788. the bill that limits the use of anticoagulant rat poison, which is poisoning native wildlife and destroying ecosystems.
More script if you want it: Wildfires are already stressing our wildlife by destroying habitat. Please remove these toxic substances from the many dangers they are now facing.
Contact:
Governor Gavin Newsom: email, (916) 445-2841 https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 