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A digital tool to track wildlife connectivity barriers has been introduced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
According to its website, CDFW and Caltrans “are committed to meaningfully addressing wildlife connectivity across the state.” The webpage “will highlight how and where we will do more together.”
There are a total of 231 identified barriers in the state and nearly all the known barriers are associated with state highways, but railroads, canals, high-speed rail alignments and local roads are also represented.
CDFW is segmented into seven working regions. Both San Benito County and neighboring Monterey County are in Region 4, where 28 barrier segments have been identified, three of which were added in 2024, the website notes.
Of these, three barriers are shared with Region 6, two barriers are shared with Region 5 and three barriers are shared with Region 3, as seen on the map.
CDFW’s website defines barriers as: “infrastructure or incompatible land uses that impede wildlife movement or population connectivity between habitat areas. Barriers are frequently long, linear segments of infrastructure such as roads, railways, and canals, as well as fencing. Barriers are also often land conversions between habitat areas; e.g., development or agricultural conversion between patches of natural lands.”
Two main barriers have been identified in San Benito County.
W024 (Top Priority Barrier).
Barrier Name: SR-129 Chittenden
Linear Infrastructure: SR-129.
Geographic Area: Pajaro River between Pajaro Hills and Aromas Hills. Shared barrier with Regions 3 and 4
Length: 8.32 km (5.17 mi).
Target Species: American badger, black bear, bobcat, California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, mountain lion, black-tailed deer and mesocarnivores.
Connectivity Concerns: This narrow linkage connects the southern Santa Cruz Mountains with the northern Gabilan Range. Studies have included existing infrastructure evaluation; and roadkill, radiotelemetry and camera data which show high mortality rates as well as refusal of wildlife to cross this barrier.
Remediation Goals: Studies have identified where wildlife needs could be met through 1) maintaining existing structures, 2) constructing new structures, 3) land preservation, and 4) management such as adding fencing.
W162 (Barrier)
Barrier Name: US-101 “Bottleneck”/Prunedale split off.
Linear Infrastructure: SR-156.
Geographic Area: US-101 to San Juan Bautista, Region 4
Length: 3.32 km (2.06 mi).
Target Species: American Badger, bobcat, black bear, California red-legged frog, mountain lion and black-tailed deer.
Connectivity Concerns: SR-156 bisects an important landscape linkage between the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Gabilan Range and the Flint Hills. Remote camera data, roadkill data, and mountain lion GPS collar data show that this is an important linkage.
Remediation Goals: Expand and enhance existing infrastructure such as culverts and creek bridges, add new under-crossings and wildlife exclusion fencing.
Michael Sawaya, the Region 4 Connectivity Specialist with the CDFW, said that work on remediation of this barrier is underway with two crossings at Rocks Ranch being constructed. One includes an overpass and the other a covert already in place that will allow wildlife to cross safely under Hwy 101.
Species targeted throughout Region 4 include:
American badger, black bear, bobcat, California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, foothill yellow-legged frog, black-tailed deer, San Joaquin kit fox, mountain lion, tule elk, western spadefoot, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, giant kangaroo rat, pronghorn, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, western spadefoot and mesocarnivores (medium-sized carnivores such as grey fox).
Region 4’s Segment W036 (Grapevine) includes the location where a collared wolf OR-93 was killed by a vehicle in November 2021.
The UC Davis Road Kill Ecology Center, which supports a program for people to report road deaths involving wildlife, estimates an average of 48,000 deer and 100 mountain lions are killed on roadways annually. In its 2024 Road Kill Report, the center states that in the Central Coast, 3,523 wildlife road deaths were reported, and some of those include birds which are not part of this CDFW program.
See a full list of barriers here.
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