Hwy 395 | Hallelujah Junction

Advancing the protection of migration corridors, wildlife movement, and motorists through partnerships.

Mari Galloway

September 13, 2021

Hwy 395

runs North to South, beginning East of Los Angeles before running East of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range to the Oregon border and fragments important habitat for California's wildlife.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

identified wildlife movement barrier priorities to address throughout the State of California (in red). Significant stretches of Highway 395 were identified as priority barriers that should be addressed to facilitate wildlife movement and enhance public safety (green arrows).

Wildlife Migration Corridors

The eastern Sierras is one of the few areas in the State of California with critical wildlife migration routes. Allowing wildlife to safely cross Highway 395 will be critical to ensure that mule deer, elk, and pronghorn migration routes in the Eastern Sierras are preserved.

Learn more about CDFW's work to track migrating wildlife .

Addressing Impacts

On both northern and southern extents of Highway 395, local governments, Caltrans, CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife, Tribes, federal government agencies, non-government agencies, and academics are collaborating to address barriers to wildlife movement and public safety.

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Hallelujah Junction Crossing

In partnership with Pathways for Wildlife, NGOs, Tribes, and state and federal agencies, Wildlands Network is working to facilitate important East to West movement to allow wildlife to accessing high-value habitat in the Sierra Nevada range to the West and the valley's sagebrush habitats to the East. The habitats on either side of the highway are home to coyotes, pronghorn, mule deer, coyote, mountain lion, American badger, and long-tailed weasel.

Meet Wildlands Network

Meet Hwy 89 Stewardship Team

Mammoth Crossing

Caltrans District 9 completed a roadkill hot spot analysis and found that 4 out of 5 hotspots within its entire district were located on a relatively short stretch of Hwy 395. Study on local mule deer and pronghorn movement is ongoing to better understand how ungulates move through the landscape.

Hallelujah Junction Crossing

With sagebrush habitats to the East and the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the West, the section of US 395 between the Reno, NV and Susanville, CA bisects important migration routes for mule deer and impedes movement for numerous species.

Recognizing the importance of this region for wildlife movement, the State purchased the Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area (HJWA) in 1989 for the express purpose of protecting the winter range and migration corridors of the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd.

Did you know? In the 1970s, the State constructed some of its first wildlife crossings. 3 undercrossings were constructed at known deer routes to decrease incidents of wildlife-vehicle collisions and provide safe passage for cattle. Though initially effective, decades of wildfires, erosion, and coyotes and rabbits digging under the fenceline have allowed deer to pass through. Caltrans and CDFW are currently monitoring these sites and intend to remediate the fencing to bolster the effectiveness of the underpass.

In efforts to address wildlife and public safety concerns on this stretch of highway, project partners, including Wildlands Network, Caltrans, Nevada Dep't of Wildlife, and Pathways for Wildlife, visited the site to identify existing culverts and bridges that could potentially facilitate wildlife movement.

Ahiga Snyder, Co-Principal for Pathways for Wildlife, relies on his tracking skills in addition to strategic camera placement and roadkill surveys, to identify potential wildlife in the area.

From on-the-ground insight from our site visit, Pathways for Wildlife developed a study plan of specific structures to monitor to see how wildlife move to the other side of the highway from Aug. 2021-Aug 2022.

Check out Pathways for Wildlife !

However, wildfires in 2021, have postponed the anticipated study start date, requiring project partners to brainstorm how to restructure efforts to ensure the study accurately captures how wildlife move throughout the landscape in post-fire conditions.

What's Next?

The Hallelujah Junction partnership will monitor existing structure and wildlife movement over the roadway to determine what structures should be modified and potential locations for a wildlife overpass. With great partnerships like these, it would be incredibly helpful if there was statewide legislation and funding source that helped implement wildlife connectivity projects to make it easier to fund design and planning phases and install much needed wildlife connectivity enhancements on highways.

Dive Deeper

Hwy 395 Wildlife Crossing - ICOET 2021 Presentation

Take me back to the virtual map.