WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Right now, let's say good morning too. California's regional executive

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<v Speaker 1>director for the National Wildlife Federation, Best Pratt, Good morning, Bet.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for getting us up early with us today.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, no problem, thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>So we're excited because construction for the wildlife crossing over

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<v Speaker 1>the one oh one Freeway in a Gore Hills is

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<v Speaker 1>progressing and entering a new phase today.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we're really excited. I'm up early, not just for you,

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<v Speaker 2>but we are about to put the first soil on

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<v Speaker 2>the top of the one oh one structure, which to

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<v Speaker 2>me is a really actually emotional milestone because so far

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<v Speaker 2>it's been concrete, twenty six million pounds of concrete for

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<v Speaker 2>that one oh one structure. But this is the first

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<v Speaker 2>kind of natural layer. You know, I can now envision

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<v Speaker 2>a Mountainlin's pop print in it. So getting my hand

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<v Speaker 2>in that soil and being able to toss it on

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<v Speaker 2>the bridge and know that next coming is plants and habitat,

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<v Speaker 2>that's a pretty amazing milestone. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So, now, Beth, is how much are you going to

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<v Speaker 1>be throwing onto the bridge eventually? You said twenty six

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<v Speaker 1>million tons of concrete? How much dirt's going on there?

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<v Speaker 2>You know, that's a really good question I don't know

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<v Speaker 2>the answer to. But it's a lot. This is this, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>a lot. How's that for scientific? It is a full

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<v Speaker 2>acre of habitat on top of that bridge, and that

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<v Speaker 2>we are actually creating, right, there was nothing there. I

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<v Speaker 2>do know that the top soil is about nine inches

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<v Speaker 2>in height, and then the subsoil, which actually is what

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<v Speaker 2>we'll be tossing on would they start today, it's about

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<v Speaker 2>nine inches, So you're talking about, you know about across

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<v Speaker 2>the entire habitat, you're talking about eighteen inches of soil,

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<v Speaker 2>which is a lot from below that. We have aggregate,

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<v Speaker 2>we have drainage layers. It's it's you know, people ask,

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<v Speaker 2>you know what sometimes why this is taking so long. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>it's not just a bridge for cars. To create an

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<v Speaker 2>ecosystem on top took a lot of engineering, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>such as of waterproofing and drainage layers, so that you

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<v Speaker 2>could pretty much create a habitat.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and then once you get all the dirt on there,

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<v Speaker 1>then you're going to be planting things, right.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I think this is the most fascinating part of

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<v Speaker 2>the whole project. Even though I have a black thumb

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<v Speaker 2>and you wouldn't want me in charge of this. But

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<v Speaker 2>we have a whole native plant nursery operation that literally

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<v Speaker 2>we started like five or six years ago with just

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<v Speaker 2>people coming out gathering samples of like the microbi microbiology

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<v Speaker 2>of the soil of the fungus and started gathering over

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<v Speaker 2>a million hyperlocal seeds that now if you look, are

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<v Speaker 2>now full fledged plants and those will be starting to

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<v Speaker 2>go on in May, Okay.

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<v Speaker 1>And then we're still looking at an opening data when

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to be completed still early next year, is

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<v Speaker 1>that right?

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<v Speaker 2>Sometime in twenty twenty six, the weather did delay us

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit. We had two record rainy springs, which

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<v Speaker 2>unfortunately hit at bad times. When you're poorn, you can't

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<v Speaker 2>have soupy soil doesn't work real well. But we're looking

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<v Speaker 2>at twenty twenty six and what is next is we

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<v Speaker 2>have to relocate there or bury There is a utility

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<v Speaker 2>line in between the freeway and a Gora road and

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<v Speaker 2>those utility lines will be buried, which will actually help

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<v Speaker 2>with fire resiliency. And then we start extending the structure

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<v Speaker 2>over a Goer road and then put the soil on that,

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<v Speaker 2>plants on that and we are open for business and

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<v Speaker 2>probably mid to late twenty twenty six.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, how exciting. Okay, So I want to ask you

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<v Speaker 1>a question because we've talked about this before, but just

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<v Speaker 1>you're building this massive crossing. It's an acre in size

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<v Speaker 1>over the freeway, and you and I have talked before

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<v Speaker 1>about if you build it, they will come, meaning that

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<v Speaker 1>if you build this crossing, the wildlife will find it.

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<v Speaker 1>How do they find it because in the grand scope

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<v Speaker 1>of things along the whole freeway, it's a very narrow passage.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Yeah, and that's actually why they will find it

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<v Speaker 2>or have already found it. We know from the National

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<v Speaker 2>Park Service research, you know, over twenty years of collaring

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<v Speaker 2>mountain lines and bobcats and coyotes and other animals that

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<v Speaker 2>they're trying to cross here. If you look on a

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<v Speaker 2>map like a Google map, you can see that the

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<v Speaker 2>green space funnels right to this location, kind of an

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<v Speaker 2>hour glass shape. It's the last sixteen hundred feet in

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<v Speaker 2>that entire region on the one oh one where there's

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<v Speaker 2>protected open space on both sides. So they're already trying

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<v Speaker 2>to cross here. They just get to the freeway and

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<v Speaker 2>are like uh huh and turn around because I'll tell you.

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<v Speaker 2>I've stood there at two am, and I wouldn't even

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<v Speaker 2>try it. You know, the one on one just never slows.

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<v Speaker 2>But what we what we also do, and we know

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<v Speaker 2>from decades of wildlife crossing science, is we put up

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<v Speaker 2>what we call exclusionary fencing. So there will be fencing

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<v Speaker 2>on about two miles on either side of the freeway

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<v Speaker 2>that actually cuts off their options and leads them to

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<v Speaker 2>it as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, oh, I love that. Okay, Well, I hope that

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<v Speaker 1>we get to talk to you again soon, Beth. A

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<v Speaker 1>very exciting day. We're a step closer to giving animals

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<v Speaker 1>safe passage and that's big stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, it's hopeful stuff. I think we all need

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<v Speaker 2>hope these days, and to me, this is a hopeful project.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks for having me, all right, Thank you. Bet.

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<v Speaker 1>That's California Regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation,

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<v Speaker 1>Beth Pratt.