The Annenberg Foundation has provided financial support for the planned Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon, which would provide crucial protection for Los Angeles’ mountain lion population as well as other species native to the habitat. The Malibu Times reported on a recent event giving locals a chance to see renderings and ask experts questions:
The primary project partners represented at the open house were Caltrans, the National Park Service, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA).
Beth Pratt-Bergstrom, California director of the NWF, the lead fundraiser for the project, went over the funding history. The MRCA provided the $250K needed for the initial project study, which has now been completed. The California Wildlife Conservation Board gave a $650,000 grant to the Resource Conservation District for the design of the crossing. Private donations from the Annenberg Foundation and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, plus a $1 million grant from the California Coastal Commission, provided the $1.5 million needed for an environmental assessment by Caltrans, which has been newly finalized.
Read the full article here.
