California begins surveying for wildlife crossings over State Route 62 near Joshua Tree

The Mojave Desert Land Trust has secured $6.012 million in grants to begin a three-year engineering and environmental permitting phase for two wildlife crossings over State Route 62, which fragments habitat between Joshua Tree National Park and Sand to Snow National Monument. Researchers have begun surveying the area to collect DNA and scat samples to understand species movement and mating patterns across the highway.

This is the first phase of a multi-year project; actual crossing construction and funding remain contingent on future grants.