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Local land trust seeks Desert Hot Springs support for SR‑62 wildlife overpasses
Summary
Mojave Desert Land Trust told the council it has $5.44 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board and $512,000 in local match to plan two overpasses on State Route 62 to reduce wildlife mortality and restore habitat connectivity; the group asked the city for a resolution of support to aid permitting and fundraising.
Gary Hund, representing the Mojave Desert Land Trust, presented a multi‑year plan to build two wildlife overpasses on State Route 62 linking the Little San Bernardino and San Bernardino ranges. Hund said MDLT received a $5.44 million grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board and a $512,000 match from the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy to fund the planning phase.
“Before the highway was built there was a seamless connection between the two mountain ranges,” Hund said, describing a CALTRANS‑commissioned survey that found hundreds of carcasses along the Morango and Yuka grades and concluding the highway presents a near‑complete barrier to wildlife movement. He said the planning work will take roughly three years and that MDLT has secured local agency partners and is engaging the Bureau of Land Management on right‑of‑way near the Morango crossing.
Hund emphasized both public safety and conservation benefits: motorists have collided with large wildlife such as deer and mountain lions, and habitat fragmentation can reduce genetic diversity and imperil apex predators. He described an earlier example project and showed renderings used elsewhere to reconnect habitat and create community gateway features.
Council members expressed support in principle and asked staff whether a resolution of support from the city would be helpful. Councilmember Gardner thanked the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy for its partnership and pledged to assist as the project moves into the fundraising and permitting stages.
MDLT will continue planning and fundraising; the project was presented as “shovel‑ready” upon completion of the planning phase and contingent on subsequent construction funding.
