Local mountain lion P-22 became an L.A. celebrity when he traveled from his birthplace in the Santa Monica Mountains to his new home in popular Griffith Park—traversing miles and crossing two of the city's busiest freeways. If you've always wondered what the intrepid cat's experience was like, now you have a chance to experience it for yourself.
On Wednesday, October 19, the National Wildlife Federation and its partners will honor P-22 with an organized 50-mile hike that is believed to be the path the mountain lion took to get to Griffith Park. The hike will begin at the Liberty Canyon trailhead off the 101 Freeway in Agoura, the proposed location for a wildlife crossing that would ease urban wildlife migration. For the next four days, participants will hike with environmental advocates, scientists and—wait for it—a life-sized cut out of P-22 himself. Almost as good as the real thing?
The hike is meant to show how L.A. is leading the pack when it comes to urban wildlife conservation. The public is welcome to join in, along with Agoura Hills' mayor Harry Schwarz, state senate candidate Henry Stern, Santa Monica Recreation Area's superintendent David Szymanski and other local leaders. Can't make the hike? The National Wildlife Federation's California director Beth Pratt-Bergstrom will wear a mountain lion tracking collar so people can follow the journey online.
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