A blog by spcaLA president, Madeline Bernstein

Jun 4, 2014

Help Los Angeles Keep our Wildlife Residents Safe

Courtesy Google Images
Last week a bear was hit by a car and killed on the 101 Freeway. This is one of many incidents of wildlife encountering traffic while looking for food, water and the company of friends. Mountain lions and bears have turned up in residential yards, at school or, as in the case of a baby lion, in a Santa Monica office building. As we develop more cities and encroach into areas inhabited by wildlife, it is incumbent upon us to commit to doing our best to keep them safe and minimize the likelihood of chance encounters with people.

We know there is a proposal to create a wildlife corridor at Liberty Canyon under the 101 Freeway which would connect two areas of natural habitat on either side of the freeway thus increasing the lions' roaming area while keeping them and motorists safe from accidents.

Now, there is a motion before the Los Angeles City Council which would require the City Planning Department to consider wildlife corridors in any new building plans in the hillsides and provide scientific guidance to keep wildlife habitat linkages and corridors open. If you would like to join me and support this initiative, please email the Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, sharon.gin@lacity.org, and express our desire to keep all our residents safe.