In this episode, we chat with members of Santa Cruz Land Trust, Caltrans and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce McPherson.
00:09 Sarah Newark, Executive Director Land Trust of Santa Cruz
00:54 Kevin Drabinski, Public Information Officer, Caltrans District 5
02:24 Aaron Johnston, Graniterock Vice President of Quality & Environmental Services
03:10 Bruce McPherson, 5th District Supervisor, Santa Cruz County
California’s first wildlife crossing began construction on Highway 17 at Laurel Curve in March – a public-private partnership between the Land Trust, Caltrans, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and Graniterock as the contractor.
Pioneering Wildlife Protection Together
The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Caltrans
Graniterock, and the Santa Cruz County Regional
Transportation Commission are making the wildlife
crossing a reality. The unique partnership demonstrated
by these four agencies has created a new model for
conservation and wildlife protection projects in Califomia.
Why build an undercrossing
instead of an overcrossing!
The stretch of highway at Laurel Curve is
built over a large natural drainage, creating
the ideal place to install a large box culvert
beneath the highway. The roadway will
become a bridge, with the area underneath
becoming the wildlife crossing. The
undercrossing is wider and therefore more
welcoming for wildlife than a tunnel
What animals are we
hoping will use this
crossing?
Deer bobcats. foxes and mountain
lions have all been caught on camera
trying to cross Laurel Curve - or
dying in the process. Research by the
Santa Cruz Puma Project's biologist,
Chris Wilmers, shows both extensive
use of the area by mountain lions in
recent years. Wilmers called the Laurel
Curve area "the best opportunity for
maintaining puma connectivity across
Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County"
Who helped?
Over ten years in the making - the Land Trust took the first BIG step toward building a
wildlife crossing under Highway 17 in 2014, with the protection of a 10-acre property at
Laurel Curve. Seven years on, the LTSCC has now protected additional 700 acres around
Laurel Curve, creating the wildlife pathway needed for the linkage's success.
