Gaviota Coast

Working to connect habitats and reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions on California's pristine coastlines.

Mari Galloway

September 12, 2021

The Gaviota Coast is the largest remaining undeveloped coastline in Southern California and a world-recognized biodiversity hotspot.

Did you know?

Gaviota Pass is in the top 15% of all roadkill hotspots in the State. The highway significantly impacts wildlife by fragmenting their habitat and causing death or injury to wildlife attempting to cross the highway. This highway likely causes the death of more wildlife on the Gaviota Coast than any other human factor.

In fact, within an 18 hour period on May 16, both a mountain lion and a black bear were struck by cars and killed in their attempt to cross the Highway in this area.

In the last four years, six mountain lions have been reported killed crossing Hwy 101. However, due to systematic underreporting of roadkill, additional unreported deaths is likely.

Coastal Ranch Conservancy (CRC) works to restore the Gaviota Creek Watershed to promote healthy ecosystems and identifies Hwy 101 as an extreme barrier for wildlife movement. To better understand where wildlife most commonly attempt to cross, CRC analyzed available roadkill data and deployed cameras at existing culverts and bridges.

See Coastal Ranches Conservancy

The study not only revealed an abundance of life and use of these structures, like this playful bobcat family, . . .

. . . it also pin-pointed three locations where wildlife is being most affected and therefore need to be redirected via a wildlife crossing structure.

Updates to culverts and bridges provide a cost-effective opportunity to address areas with a high frequency of wildlife-vehicle collisions and fragmented habitats. By modifying culvert or bridge design, including increasing culvert size, removing or modifying riprap, restoring the surrounding area with native vegetation, and installing shelving (pictured here), can make existing structures an effective tool for providing safe wildlife passage and reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions.

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That’s why, when Caltrans proposed replacing a culvert in a location that CRC's report identified as a priority for addressing wildlife movement, CRC was disappointed to find there was no intention of addressing terrestrial wildlife movement in the area.

"The location of the Gaviota Culvert Replacement project does not represent a core habitat area or key migratory pathway for regional wildlife populations. This is not to say that animals do not attempt to cross US 101. However, given the lack of core habitat on the west side of the highway, the project will not impede any wildlife dispersal along an established regional dispersal corridor. Since wildlife corridors are not present, they are not further discussed in this section." -- Caltrans' Gaviota Coast Initial Study with Mitigated Negative Declaration (Feb. 2019)

See Full Report Here

In response to Caltrans' finding, CRC and Gaviota Coast Conservancy appealed the County Planning Commission's approval of the project, resulting in Caltrans temporarily abandoning the project to conduct additional wildlife studies in the area.

See Gaviota Coast Conservancy

In Fall 2021, Caltrans will begin conducting a study and develop a master plan of wildlife crossing needs and opportunities along Gaviota Coast and agreed to study removal of all fish passage barriers in Gaviota creek.

Caltrans' study of the area will provide important context and information for reconnecting the Gaviota Coast. However, to make aspirational projects a reality, the Gaviota Coast will require financial support from the State and the public to see these projects to completion.

Take me back to the virtual map.