World's largest wildlife crossing reaches critical milestone. Now what?

Monday was momentous for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing although it still looked like a bridge to nowhere from the 101 Freeway, where more than 300,000 vehicles stream endlessly every day. Nearly three years after the project began, the critical milestone was visible only to the government officials, scientists and longtime supporters who climbed to the top: soil. And not just any soil. Over the next few days they'll be adding 6,000 cubic yards of specially manufactured soil to cover the crossing, a mix of sand, silt and clay inoculated with a bit of compost and hyperlocal mycorrhizal fungi, carefully designed and tested to mimic the biological makeup of native soils around the site. The plan is to add 6,000 cubic yards of soil, contoured at different depths, to the top of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. (Al Seib / For The Times) Adding soil is a big deal because it means we're nearing the end of Stage 1, when the top is seeded and then planted with native shrubs an ... Read full article.