Earlier this year, Sam Trezona shadowed wildlife biologists and advocates looking for bighorn sheep that roam the rugged mountains in the Jacumba Wilderness.
He has been documenting their work to save the endangered species from drivers speeding on Interstate 8 and a lack of resources due to new border wall construction.
“Animals need room to roam,” he said in February while out with scientists and conservationists in Imperial County. “They need to be able to access their water, their food, their mates. And our roads, our giant highways, our cities have completely demolished that ability to move across the road.”
What he saw that day is now part of a new report by the nonprofit he works for, Environment California Research and Policy Center.
Dubbed Reconnecting California’s Wildlife, the report features other species native to California, such as mountain lions, elk, deer and salamanders. It explains how human actions, like slicing mountains to add highways and letting toxic chemicals leach into soil, are affecting the way animals move around in California. And it shows what’s urgently needed to help save the animals.
“As our wildlife constantly moves to find food, reproduce, or escape dangers posed by humans, climate, or predators, they are increasingly running into human infrastructure,” the report said.
The report zooms in on each species’ struggle based on what’s happening in their region. For Peninsular bighorn sheep, “blind curves (on Interstate 8), harsh desert and fast cars make this area deadly for migrating bighorn sheep.”
Trezona trekked across parts of the Jacumba Wilderness with scientists and conservationists, and stood along the highway with officials from Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, to see how challenging it is for sheep and their lambs to cross Interstate 8. He also took a plane ride over the area to get a panoramic view of the species’ home range. He embarked on similar journeys across California.
“Wherever I went, there was somebody who was telling me stories about how they have tried to save these animals for decades,” he said. “We were in the Eastern Sierra and a woman came up and had documentation of deer that were hit by her house.”
“Then, I went to the Mojave Desert, where there was a retired National Park Service worker who had been fighting for bighorn sheep her whole career, and local volunteers down near the border that were working since before the Peninsular bighorn sheep were even listed as endangered,” he added.
Trezona said meeting scientists and conservationists all over California proves “that Californians care about wildlife,” but it also revealed gaps preventing wildlife crossing projects from coming to fruition.
“There is a lack of funding and there’s also a lack of coordination between state agencies and a lack of data for funding of the 144 projects that Caltrans has identified as priority.”
Those fish and wildlife connectivity projects are designed to address barriers on the state highway system. They include building overpasses, undercrossings, and fencing to reconnect habitats.
An overpass and fencing are being designed for Interstate 8, but construction funding is still needed. Of the 144 projects selected as a priority for the state, only 31 have been funded, according to Caltrans.
Devin O’Dea, a conservationist with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said California is “significantly” behind other states that have built numerous and cheaper crossings, including Colorado and Utah.
In February, California announced that it was closing in on the construction of the state’s first wildlife crossing in Los Angeles across U.S. Route 101. The $114 million project is expected to be completed in the fall.
Trezona said he hopes the report will urge state and federal agencies to fund more wildlife crossing projects.
