Senator Alex Padilla is calling for bipartisan support for a bill to increase federal funding for research and projects related to wildlife corridors and conservation efforts across the United States. During a Senate environmental subcommittee hearing on November 14, Padilla focused on the issue of wildlife corridors, which connect wildlife to different habitat areas and allow them to avoid vehicles.
In Santa Barbara, residents have been pushing for Caltrans to create a wildlife corridor near Gaviota for several years. A study began in 2022 in the area of the U.S. 101 at Gaviota Pass to improve passageways for wildlife, due to the area’s high number of wildlife deaths on the highway.
The study was completed according to schedule and a location suitable for wildlife crossing that would also serve to reduce vehicle collisions was identified, according to Mitch Dallas, a senior environmental planner with Caltrans. Dallas also stated that a proposal was submitted to the federal government for a $10 million grant to fund the project.