Rim of the Valley Wildlife Corridors: Santa Susana Pass via Highway 118

The Santa Susana Pass is similar to the Conejo Grade in that it is a ten lane wide highway used as a major commuting route this time connecting Simi Valley to the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles. This is also a very high speed thoroughfare with limited opportunities for wildlife corridors however, the region represents a major connector between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Santa Susana mountains via the undeveloped Simi Hills. Furthermore, the Santa Susana Mountains are extremely undeveloped and represent a key habitat crossover between the more biologically diverse Santa Monica Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains. The only connecting road through the unbroken freeway pass is the Rocky Peak Road Interchange and does represent a physical crossing as the road crosses the freeway, however it is solely used as an off and on ramp.
The region of study is characterized by chaparral grasses and shrubs on the exposed west and south facing hillsides and mixed oak forests and dense shrub patches on the northern and eastern exposures. The South side of the pass is heavily vegetated with oak forests and large boulder like outcrops hidden by the dense canopy of the oaks with some limited private residence with rural yard settings. The North side of the highway is very rural grassland and shrubland, heavily outcropped with rock and with little to no development over a large area adding to the value of this region as prime habitat for the apex predator. The geology of the region is very exposed with large outcrops of sandstone bedrock pockmarked with caves and overhangs on both sides of the pass further making this area an ideal habitat for shelter after a crossing.