The National Wildlife Federation and its community partners will celebrate mountain lion P-22, a Los Angeles icon, with a series of free community events October 16-22. P-22 made a remarkable solo journey across two of the busiest freeways in America, becoming a local superstar in the process.
As part of the inaugural Urban Wildlife Week and P-22 Day Festival, a team of environmental advocates, scientists and leaders will retrace P-22’s historic 40-mile trek from the Santa Monica Mountains to his new home in Griffith Park.
This unique walk will showcase how Los Angeles is demonstrating leadership in urban wildlife conservation and people can follow the journey virtually at urbanwildlifeweek.org. Locals are also encouraged to cheer on the hikers. Residents will learn how they can co-exist with their wild neighbors, including P-22 and other mountain lions.
Events planned during the series include:
• Urban wildlife kickoff event in partnership with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Four-day wildlife walk (Oct 19-22) starting at the site of the proposed wildlife crossing that will trace the 40-mile path that P-22 took from Santa Monica Mountains to his current home in Griffith Park
• P-22 Day and Urban Wildlife Festival, a free, day-long event in Griffith Park featuring interactive exhibits about urban wildlife in the region as well as children’s activities, musical and dance performances, Ranger Rick and P-22 cutout photo opportunities, art contests, gardening demonstrations and more
• Crowdfunding initiative in support of #SaveLACougars to help fund the construction of what will be the largest wildlife crossing in the world at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills.
For more information on P-22 Day and Urban Wildlife Week as well as an updated events schedule and map, visit urbanwildlifeweek.org. For more information on #SaveLACougars, go to savelacougars.org.
