![]() ![]() “You couldn’t pay me a million bucks to run across that road,” Pratt said. About half of the $100 million cost was funded by private donations, including $26 million from philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, whose contribution was instrumental in propelling the project forward.įor 20 years, the National Park Service researched the exact spot where the freeway overpass should go. The wildlife crossing is a public-private project, spearheaded by the National Wildlife Federation along with California’s transportation department. “We’re actually designing light barriers - not just on the crossing but in the approach - so they won’t get scared and turn around, which is what happens.” “All the lights of those headlights are a deterrent to wildlife,” Pratt explained. Everything is designed to filter out the noise of the freeway, since most animals get frightened and turn around if it’s too noisy.Ī rendering of the completed Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass Courtesy National Wildlife FederationĮngineers are also taking into account animals’ fear of bright lights. The crossing includes specially designed sound walls, along with natural sound barriers of tall trees and lush plantings. Some 300,000 to 400,000 cars a day will pass underneath the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass when it opens in two years. “Whether you’re Beverly Hills, whether you’re Watts, we all come together over wildlife.” “He’s someone who was also impacted by the injustice of putting freeways through communities,” she said. Residents of Watts see P-22 as “a social justice hero,” Pratt explained. So Pratt, who is most comfortable outdoors in casual clothes and hiking boots, found herself in swanky Bel Air mansions, pleading for endowments.ĭonations poured in from celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand and David Crosby, and support also came from Watts residents in South Los Angeles. The idea of a wildlife overpass was garnering interest, but funding it was another issue. One of her career highlights was getting an email from actor Alan Ruck - from HBO’s “Succession” and Pratt’s favorite film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” - saying he spotted P-22 from the deck of his Hollywood Hills home.īecause of P-22’s popularity, people wanted to help the mountain lion – and others like him – roam the areas beyond Los Angeles’ bustling six-lane 101 Freeway. “They saw him as a neighbor they’d be eating dinner and he’d walk by their dining room at night and they’d share a photo and be like: ‘Hey, P-22 visited me.’ “ and people didn’t fear him,” said Pratt, who has memorialized P-22 on her arm with a tattoo. A photo of P-22 mountain lion National Park Service ![]()
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