New lion kittens in the Santa Monicas (via Modern Hiker)

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:31 am

http://www.modernhiker.com/2010/06/23/n ... a-monicas/

Thanks MH!!

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:12 am

Just out of curiousity, how does a wildlife corridor work? Is it just a tunnel or underpass that animals are supposed to know how to cross?

norma r · Post by **norma r** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:15 am

very cool! i think a hike on the trails near the PS Ranch might be in order.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:03 am

Zach wrote:Just out of curiousity, how does a wildlife corridor work? Is it just a tunnel or underpass that animals are supposed to know how to cross?

It's a general term - it can be a more or less natural feature - like a big river wash going under a freeway, or a canyon that funnels animals from one mountain range to the other just because of terrain, or they can be pretty elaborate man made bridges and tunnels. Some in Alaska are bridges over highways, that are covered in grass and trees. Sometime the animals are still too unnerved by the noise and commotion, and won't use them, but in many places they work great. They can eliminate a lot of vehicle vs elk car accidents.

I think there is a man made one in the OC that they spent a ton of money on that the animals don't use...too narrow I guess.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_corridor

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:04 am

norma r wrote:very cool! i think a hike on the trails near the PS Ranch might be in order.

I'm looking at maps right now!

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:35 pm

cougarmagic wrote:I think there is a man made one in the OC that they spent a ton of money on that the animals don't use...too narrow I guess.

There's one at Coal Canyon. This use to be an off-ramp/underpass interchange but they closed it permanently in 2002, tore up the pavement, destroyed the ramps and just let the underpass become a wildlife corridor. It's a really wide underpass and is just sort of grassy now. There are also two other culverts next to the underpass that go under the 91 Freeway. If anyone wants to see these, just ride your bike west along the Santa Ana River Trail after parking at the Green River Golf Course.

They were only able to do this after the state was able to buy the last bits of private land around there and turn it over to Chino Hills State Park. The corridor is vital because it links the half million acres of the Santa Ana Mountains with Chino and Puente Hills, which has the last bits of grasslands in all of Southern California. Although I'm not sure how successful the corridor has been. Before, a 1995 study found that one cougar used the culvert corridor 22 times!

Some more info:

http://books.google.com/books?id=3FxA8u ... &q&f=false
http://www2.for.nau.edu/research/pb1/Se ... ddress.htm