The Urgent Need for Wildlife Corridors to Protect California’s Mountain Lions

• O’Connell Ranch
  O’Connell Ranch is located in the Diablo Range, parallel to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Wildlife migration in the area is fragmented by a daunting barrier — the eight-lane Highway 152, which is the main artery from the Central Valley into the Silicon Valley and Bay Area. The property is uniquely situated along the Pacheco Creek Riparian Corridor where underpasses provide limited safe passage opportunities beneath the highway. In late 2023, we partnered with the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency to purchase and protect a 1,125-acre property, to enhance wildlife connectivity in a stretch of the road where four mountain lions had been hit by vehicles. In the future, a wildlife overpass is proposed to be built above the road.
   
• Richmond Ranch
  Richmond Ranch is located southeast of San Jose and spans 3,654 acres in the Diablo Range that links into the greater Santa Cruz to Gabilan Range corridor. Its unique location helps to preserve the ‘Coyote Valley Wildlife Linkage’ that provides critical habitat for the bobcats, Tule elk, mountain lions and other critters when crossing. The land also provides public benefit as it is set for incorporation into a county park. The expansion will complete a section of the scenic Bay Area Ridge Trail that currently connects more than 400 miles of outdoor recreation access surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2024, our team worked with the local Santa Clara Valley Habitat agency and local parks to protect the property for dual use.

• Breen Ranch
  Breen Ranch marks a step forward in a multi-year effort between local land trusts and governments to secure a track of land that supports the future build of a wildlife crossing over Highway 101, where mountain lions lack the ability to safely cross the road. The expansion offers paths within the native habitat to avoid conflicts with local ranchers. The Conservation Fund protected the property in 2025 to conserve 500 acres of land in the northern tip of the Gabilan Range, which sits in the middle of the region’s wildlife pathway.
  

Over time, these projects have created a powerful, interconnected network of habitat for the region’s wildlife. Each of these efforts take us one step closer to empowering these mighty creatures to once again roam free. As I think back to my introduction to this work, and the collaborative efforts of so many to track and protect California’s mountain lions, I am left with hope and motivation.

Join us in supporting our meaningful land conservation work by making a donation to The Conservation Fund today.