Gary Gerber has a front row seat to history being made. He lives in the eastern end of the Conejo Valley, off of Highway 101 near Liberty Canyon.
That’s where construction is underway on what will be the world’s largest wildlife crossing.
"I think it's really exciting, it's really great," said Gerber. "The animals deserve it."
The three year, $92 million project will allow wildlife to cross the 101 highway, and safely travel between two critical Southern California habitats…the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Simi Hills.
While Gerber can almost look out his home’s window to see the work, some cutting edge technology is being used to allow people to track the project, as well as learn more about the wildlife.
The augmented reality company inCitu allows you to hold up a smartphone equipped with their app to see what the finished project will look like. It superimposes the end product over what is there now. And, Snapchat has a version which allows you to see what the project will look like. You can also use it at home to learn about the project, and the wildlife it will help.
"In this project, you will see the actual structure," said Dana Chermish, the founder and CEO of inCitu. "You can see it on site, or you can interact with it off-site, when it's a tabletop augmented reality view that you can play with."
There's also animated information about the different animals which will be helped through the project. It's available through the inCitu app.
"Lenses are a really interactive way to learn something new," said Cassie Kling, with Snapchat. "With this new wildlife crossing lens, people can explore what the bridge will look like, and learn about the importance of biodiversity, and genetic diversity."
And, what the National Wildlife Federation is especially excited about the idea of the augmented reality project connecting a younger audience to nature.
Jasson Crockett is Snapchat’s Local Public Policy Manager.
"There's a whole universe of Snapchat users that we think are going to be able to tap into this, and engage in a whole new way in learning about biodiversity," said Crockett.
But, here at the Liberty Canyon overcrossing site, you don’t need augmented reality to see that work is underway.
Michael Comeaux is with Caltrans. He said crews are working in the center median area of Highway 101 in the Liberty Canyon area, setting the stage for the addition of support structures for the crossing. After that, they will build structures on the south and north sides of the freeway which will be the supports for the crossing structure.
The National Wildlife Federation spearheaded a major fundraising campaign to pay for the project. The price tag now stands at $92 million.
The goal is to raise $105 million to help fund projects needed for the crossing, like growing native plants, as well as to fund more mountain lion research.
More than $98 million has been raised, and it’s expected more major donations will be announced at the Save LA Cougars annual community celebration this Saturday in Griffith Park.
