Collaboration

The Creekspirit Wildlife Foundation recognizes that, to be effective, wildlife conservation efforts must be planned and implemented on a regional scale. For example, California now has a Wildlife Action Plan, prepared by the Wildlife Health Center of the University of California, Davis, for the California Department of Fish and Game. The plan identifies species at risk, threats to wildlife diversity, and actions that can and should be taken statewide to protect our wildlife in the future. Similar action plans have been adopted in other Western states.

The Foundation seeks to partner with other like-minded nonprofit organizations, as well as state agencies as appropriate, in support of wildlife protection and preservation initiatives. It intends to pursue collaborative projects that will further broad-based wildlife conservation efforts as well as the specific goals of state wildlife action plans on both a regional and local level.

A good example of this is our collaboration with the California Region of the National Wildlife Foundation to build a bridge over busy California Highway 101 in Agoura Hillsto enable free passage from the endangered mountain lion from its habitat near Los Angeles’ Griffith Park over the busy highway to a more remote habitat in the Los Padres National Forest. NWF California Regional Director, Beth Pratt, visited the Creekspirit Wildlife Foundation in October 2015 to inform our members of her ongoing effort to raise funds for this monumental project. Shortly thereafter, the Creekspirit Wildlife Foundation Board of Directors voted to donate $1,000 to the project. It is our understanding that as of last August, over $87M has been raised and the bridge is in its final design phase. If approved, the overpass would stretch 200 feet over 10 lanes of traffic, and would be equipped with vegetative landscapes. It is important to note that since the National Park Service started tracking mountain lions in 2002, 18 have died trying to cross freeways and other secondary roads. Without the overpass, animals have been forced to take risks.