Creating Safer Roads, HWY 395

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Creating Safer Roads, HWY 395

Date: 04/22/2024     State: CA     Issues: Urban Planning, Wildlife     Partners: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Transportation, Eastern Sierra Land Trust, Sierra Business Council, Wildlands Network Airport Origin : Bishop, CA    

Mission


To facilitate wildlife movement, EcoFlight’s partners are working to improve existing wildlife crossings and construct new under-crossings and over-crossings. We flew with conservationists and California agency officials to plan, collaborate, and move these projects forward to improve safety for Californians and wildlife.

Highway 395 is often referred to as California’s backbone and provides a critical link between communities throughout the Sierra Nevada. We flew above pristine wildlife habitat bifurcated by HWY 395, where many wildlife-vehicle collisions are common as animals move to access seasonal habitat. On one side of the road, the peaks of the Sierra jut up against the sky and on the other, rolling hills of sage provide winter forage for the many species that inhabitant the Eastern Sierra. The highway poses a huge barrier to mule deer, bear, coyotes, and mountain lions, who must risk their lives, while endangering human lives, to move between the rich habitat on both sides of 395. Multiple herds of mule deer cross the highway twice a year during their seasonal migrations.

 

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