Agoura Hills: Wildlife crossing project on 101 Freeway gets $5 million donation from OC couple - KABC-TV

2 years ago 48

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Philanthropists Joann and Frank Randall of Newport Beach person made a $5 cardinal donation to the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing task adjacent Agoura Hills, officials announced Saturday.

The crossing volition span implicit 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway successful Liberty Canyon erstwhile completed successful 2025, and aims to supply a transportation betwixt the tiny colonisation of upland lions successful the Santa Monica Mountains and the larger and genetically divers populations to the north.

Decades of roadworthy operation and improvement person been deadly for animals trying to cross, and person created islands of situation that person genetically isolated wildlife from bobcats to birds and lizards.

Wildlife advocates anticipation the crossing tin prevention the threatened section colonisation of upland lions from extinction. They've besides characterized the aboriginal operation arsenic "a planetary exemplary for municipality wildlife conservation" that volition "benefit the wildlife and ecology of the country for generations to come."

The $85 cardinal task volition beryllium the largest crossing of its benignant successful the world, stretching 210 feet implicit the freeway.

"We applaud the Joann and Frank's enactment with this generous acquisition and publication to the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing," said Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "This visionary and monumental public-private concern broke crushed acknowledgment to radical similar Joann and Frank. We besides anticipation this volition animate different philanthropic leaders to articulation them successful getting our run to our extremity to marque the wildlife crossing whole."

Officials said the acquisition volition assistance guarantee that captious components of the task are funded specified arsenic wildlife crossing plan and engineering expertise, National Park Service ongoing landmark wildlife research, and astir notably, a aboriginal acquisition place connected a way adjacent the crossing. The overlook, which volition person interpretive panels explaining astir the task and country wildlife, volition carnivore their name.

"Joann and Frank genuinely attraction astir wildlife and chaotic places, and person near a important bequest not conscionable for this wildlife crossing but for conservation," said Beth Pratt, California determination enforcement manager for the National Wildlife Federation and person of the #SaveLACougars campaign. "They are genuinely conservation heroes. I americium honored to besides telephone them friends and tin attest to their dedication and committedness to protecting the earthy world."

More accusation astir the run tin beryllium recovered astatine savelacougars.org.

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