The Ann Day Memorial Wildlife Bridge on Oracle Road is the first of its kind in the Sonoran Desert. The sister underpass near the Big Wash trail creates more opportunities for animals to safely cross the road.
These wildlife crossings connect the Tortolita Mountains and the Catalina Mountains for animals like mule deer, bighorn sheep, javelina, badgers, bobcats, coyotes, and many more. In fact, the wildlife crossings are crossed over 2,000 times per month by local wildlife, based on data from our wildlife cameras.
The Ann Day Memorial Bridge was constructed after 20 years of planning, collaboration and community effort. This bridge was publicly funded thanks to the 2006 RTA plan vote, initiating a half-cent sales tax that included $45 million in funding for wildlife connectivity. After construction finished in 2016, these crossings connected the landscape and created a safe passage across Oracle Road. In 2023, the Coalition launched our restoration project on the wildlife crossing bridge and underpass, “Habitat Restoration Days”, creating and improving the habitat to encourage even more animals to use these important structures with funding from the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area.
Explore more about the crossings below!
Support our work as we continue to pursue a connected and protected Sonoran Desert for generations to come!