Gaviota Wildlife Corridor Report Finds Room for Improvement

Area North of Gaviota Beach State Park Identified as Potential Location for Culvert Widening

The wildlife study for a crossing in the Gaviota area used trail cams to spot sights like this bobcat climbing a cattle guard at Milepost 50.91. | Credit: Courtesy

Santa Barbara residents have been asking Caltrans for wildlife corridor improvements in Gaviota since at least 2019. Protections for the area’s wildlife may finally begin with the completion of a study of wildlife connectivity in the area.

Stakeholder meetings first started in 2021, and the study — the Gaviota Wildlife Connectivity Assessment — initiated. Wildlife network experts with consultants ICF Jones & Stokes Inc. led the study, with the results presented in August 2023. Caltrans, which commissioned the study, announced that U.S. 101 Postmile 46.37 — south of the Gaviota Tunnel and north of Gaviota Beach Road — is where an existing culvert could be enlarged to facilitate enhanced wildlife crossings.

The study area ranges along the U.S. Highway 101 between the Nojoqui Pass and Mariposa Reina Overcrossing, which includes the Gaviota Tunnel and the interchange between U.S. 101 and State Route 1. Notable findings of the final Gaviota wildlife study, a 409-page report, include the discovery of a “road-killed” mountain lion on March 16, 2022, and a “road-killed” western pond turtle on December 15, 2022.

Mountain lions are considered a “candidate species,” which are “plants and animals for which the Fish and Wildlife Service … has sufficient information … to propose them as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but for which development of a proposed listing regulation is precluded by other higher priority listing activities,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Western pond turtles are considered a “state species of special concern.”

The mountain lion and western pond turtle were both found dead near U.S. 101 Postmile 47.55, more than a mile north of the area proposed for the crossing enhancement work.

Map showing milepost locations; Caltrans identifies 46.37 as a potential crossing spot. | Credit: Courtesy

Doug Campbell, the executive director at the Coastal Ranches Conservancy, one of the stakeholder groups involved with the project, has concerns about the proposed plan.

“Even though the culvert is big enough, deer are not expected to use it in its current configuration,” Campbell said. “Deer are a big deal because if you hit one, it might kill you. So it’s important we get them using whatever gets built.”

Campbell expressed worries that the current plan to enlarge one culvert will not be enough to mitigate wildlife deaths and traffic collisions.

“The consultants recommended a crossing about every half-mile in this section, so improving one culvert is not sufficient,” Campbell said.

Caltrans is currently looking to work “with the stakeholder group to develop recommendations and opportunities for future connectivity enhancements within the Gaviota corridor,” according to Jim Shivers, spokesperson for Caltrans District 5. The agency has applied for a $10 million federal grant to put toward a wildlife crossing in Gaviota.