Santa Ana Mountains Archives | Page 2 of 3

Mountain Lion Advocacy

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on June 25, 2019 with No Comments

Our friends at the Mountain Lion Foundation have partnered with Center for Biological Diversity with the aim to list the cougars in the Santa Ana Mountains as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. This population is genetically different than other cougars in California and their very existence is threatened by habitat loss and limited wildlife corridors. Thanks to our partnership with Chino Hills State Park and Caltrans 12, we secured the connection under the 91 freeway at Coal Canyon … Read More

Cougars at Risk

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on March 24, 2019 with No Comments

The cougars in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains face dire consequences if these “islands” of habitat are not connected. The cougars are genetically isolated, which causes inbreeding, and that means the mountain lions face local extinction. Corridors connecting other habitats and new females are needed to keep the populations genetically diverse. Read the Orange County Register article.

Wildlife Corridor Secured

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 11, 2018 with No Comments

Congrats to local conservation groups (The Nature Conservancy included) and wildlife researchers for this much needed purchase in Riverside County. Without this connection in the Palomar Range, wildlife in the Santa Ana Mountains (and therefore, Puente-Chino Hills), would be stranded (geographically and genetically). Over time, inbreeding would occur within the population and the species would die out. Great work keeping this top level predator (the cougar) safe. Check out the Temecula Valley Development article.

Laguna Coast Connects to Forest Now

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on March 15, 2018 with No Comments

In the 1990s conservation science advanced enough for all of us to understand that our wild places needed to be connected to one another or the species and habitats would eventually die out. Hills For Everyone worked with State Parks and a developer to protect Coal Canyon–the connection between the Santa Ana Mountains and Chino Hills State Park. Now our friends at Laguna Greenbelt have worked with FivePoint Communities to begin the restoration of 2.5 miles of a six mile … Read More

Cougars Need Connection to Survive

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on July 10, 2017 with No Comments

Cougars in the Santa Ana Mountains may be in trouble if the connections to the Eastern Peninsular Range across the 15 isn’t secured (and soon!). Connecting our landscapes together means the top predator can survive… but at the 15 Freeway (a choke point) exists. Human activity and noise are deterring the animals. Some have died trying to cross the freeway. Without new genes the species will face dire genetic consequences, weakened immune systems, and may die out in our local … Read More