Residents Invited to Help Make Roads Safer for Wildlife
The Santa Cruz County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Commission has launched Safe Passage Santa Cruz, a community science project asking residents to help identify the places where wildlife is most often killed or injured crossing county roads.
Using the free iNaturalist app, community members can upload photos and report observations of roadkill, injured wildlife and other wildlife-road interactions. Those reports will build a countywide dataset that can show how roads affect local wildlife, pinpoint collision hotspots and support future conservation planning.
The scale of the problem statewide is substantial: a 2024 UC Davis report estimates that more than 48,000 deer, close to 100 mountain lions and thousands of other animals are killed on California roads each year. Safe Passage Santa Cruz aims to sharpen that picture locally, so the information can be used to protect wildlife and make travel safer for everyone.
“Santa Cruz County is home to incredible wildlife diversity, and community members can make a meaningful contribution simply by reporting what they observe,” said Jenni Gomez, chair of the commission. Every observation, she said, helps build a clearer understanding of where wildlife-vehicle collisions are happening and can inform planning efforts to improve safety for both wildlife and people.
Environmental Health Director Andrew Strader said identifying collision hotspots supports the division’s commitment to protecting public health and the environment in Santa Cruz County.
The project will accept observations through July 2027. The commission will then summarize its findings in a report to the Board of Supervisors in 2028, intended to help the County Planning Department implement the California Room to Roam Act (AB 1889), which will require local jurisdictions to incorporate wildlife connectivity into their General Plans.
Residents are reminded to record observations only when it is safe and legal to do so.
How to participate: Safe Passage Santa Cruz
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