To the editor: I commend the California Fish and Recreation Fee for its unanimous vote to designate Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions as threatened beneath the California Endangered Species Act (“Greater than 1,400 California mountain lions get endangered species protections,” Feb. 12). I had the chance to talk throughout public remark in assist of this motion and was deeply inspired to see the fee affirm that prevention is much wiser than ready for extinction.
City growth has decimated open house and severed pure corridors, isolating animals and intensifying inbreeding. Car strikes, rodenticide publicity and depredation compound an already fragile scenario.
This resolution creates a pathway for smarter planning, higher habitat safety and a stronger funding in wildlife connectivity. I’m hopeful that it’s going to additionally present stronger protections towards rodenticides.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway demonstrates what coexistence can seem like in follow. The crossing will reconnect remoted mountain lions within the Santa Monica Mountains, serving to their long-term survival.
California has lengthy prided itself on environmental management. This vote displays that legacy and provides hope that future generations will inherit landscapes the place mountain lions nonetheless roam.
Randi Feilich, Calabasas
