The overwhelming majority of voters on November 3 voted for change in the biggest blue wave in more than 50 years, one that not only swept through Congress, but also turned state and local governments blue nationwide. For those who participated in the blue revolution the feeling is one of hope and relief…and maybe just a little bit of schadenfreud. Cover Art & Design by Urs Baur
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. —Martin Luther King Jr.
This month, that arc spread across the nation like a rainbow. Voters unhappy with the state of the nation delivered a resounding rebuke to President Donald Trump. Democrats are celebrating their biggest congressional landslide in 50 years, and ballots continue to be counted in close races and the victory continues to grow.
This year’s primary is a vivid reminder that actions have consequences and that every vote counts. The people we elect to local, state, and national office have the very real power to make lives better, or worse. This year’s majority is committed to fixing the things that have been broken, and moving the nation forward. It’s up to us, the voters who elected them, to make sure they know what we want, need, and hope for.
More than twenty years ago, California officials listened to activists and scientists about the desperate plight of mountain lions and other wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains, and began considering ways to enable wildlife to safely cross the 101 Freeway, one of the busiest roads in the county.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is scheduled to officially open on December 2. Building it was a massive, multi-agency undertaking that involved activists, scientists, engineers, politicians, and the public. There was opposition—people who do not value wildlife—the process of getting this project from a concept to reality was a marathon. The bridge, which spans 11 lanes of traffic and a side road, is already attracting the attention of the local wildlife. On October 28, National Park Service scientists captured remote camera footage of an animal climbing the southern slope of the not-quite finished overpass.
When the 101 was built it isolated the Santa Monica Mountains from the Simi Hills. Mountain lions, facing extinction because of this suddenly imposed genetic bottleneck, became the poster children for the campaign to build the overpass, but this bridge will also help a wide range of animals, big and small. Remote cameras will reveal which species are the first to find and use the overpass. The first mountain lion is likely to make headlines, but many smaller species will also benefit, from birds to badgers. Whether we see them or not, these animals will be able to pass freely over an almost impenetrable barrier for the first time in half a century. It isn’t always possible to fix the damage we cause to the environment, but there are ways to help when enough people care.
For the mountain lions of the Santa Monica Mountains this bridge brings the promise of desperately needed genetic diversity and the opportunity for young cats to disperse out of the mountains. This species will continue to need all the help it can get, and that includes the help of Topanga residents. There continues to be an increase in rodenticide poisonings in the Topanga area. The big cats and other wildlife consume rodents that have been poisoned with slow-acting rodenticides, resulting in severe illness and death. Poison Free Topanga is a great resource for alternative options and ways to coexist with wildlife in the canyon: www.posionfreetopanga.
We’ve barely had time to pack the Halloween costumes away and dig out from under the avalanche of political fliers and election materials that somehow ended up on the dining room table, and here it is almost Thanksgiving.
Here at TNT we want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our amazing readers, advertisers, and contributors. Topanga is a remarkable, beautiful and special place, and the people who live here and love the canyon are some of the best people anywhere. We couldn’t do this without you!
Stay safe, be well. Happy Thanksgiving!
