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Stop Developers From Destroying Mountain Lion Habitat

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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Los Angeles mountain lions are already isolated by roads and development. The county must not approve another project that cuts off habitat.

Stop Developers From Destroying Mountain Lion Habitat

Los Angeles County approved the Northlake development near Castaic Lake in March 2026. The Center for Biological Diversity sued the county in April, warning that the 1,300-acre project would pave over a pristine stream and block a critical connectivity area for mountain lions and other wildlife.1

In May 2026 that the Center again filed a legal challenge to the Northlake project, which opponents described as a major sprawl development on more than 1,300 acres near Castaic.2

This is not just a land-use dispute. Southern California mountain lions are already threatened by habitat loss, highways, inbreeding, vehicle strikes, rodenticides, and wildfire. Every remaining connection between wildlands matters.

Mountain Lions Need Connected Habitat

The California Fish and Game Commission voted to list mountain lion populations in parts of Southern California and the Central Coast as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.3

These isolated mountain lions are caged by concrete, killed by cars, and sickened by rat poison, with scientists warning that inbreeding threatens their future.4 Newly protected populations include mountain lions in Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains, and that the decision responds to threats from habitat loss, rodenticides, vehicle strikes, and genetic isolation.5

The Northlake site matters because it sits near a wildlife linkage between the Angeles and Los Padres national forest landscapes. Breaking that connection would make life harder for animals already trying to survive in a fragmented region.

Los Angeles County Must Choose Connectivity

California’s major wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway is nearing completion and is designed to help species such as mountain lions, bobcats, and lizards move through fragmented habitat.6 That investment shows how important wildlife connectivity has become in Southern California.

Los Angeles County should not celebrate wildlife crossings in one place while approving a project that blocks a vital path in another.

The Board of Supervisors should rescind approval of Northlake, conduct a new environmental review, protect the creek and wildlife corridor, account for western spadefoot breeding habitat, and require any future development to avoid and preserve habitat connectivity.

Mountain lions need more than symbolic protection. They need connected land where they can move, breed, hunt, and survive.

Sign now to urge Los Angeles County to stop the Northlake development and protect mountain lion habitat connectivity before it is paved over.

More on this issue:

  1. Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Biological Diversity (23 April 2026), "Lawsuit Challenges Los Angeles Zombie Project That Would Destroy Creek, Block Puma Path."
  2. Perry Smith, The Signal (12 May 2026), "Northlake plan sued again over environmental concerns."
  3. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, CDFW (20 February 2026), "California Fish and Game Commission Finds CESA Protections Warranted for Southern California and Central Coast Mountain Lion."
  4. Rachel Becker, CalMatters (12 February 2026), "California mountain lions gain new protections under state law."
  5. Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, CLAW (2026), "Protect Our Local Mountain Lions."
  6. Katharine Gammon, The Guardian (25 April 2026), "California’s wildlife bridge became a target for the right. Now it’s eyeing the finish line."

The Petition

To the Members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Department of Regional Planning,

I urge Los Angeles County to rescind approval of the Northlake development near Castaic Lake and protect the wildlife corridor, creek habitat, and mountain lion connectivity threatened by this project.

Southern California mountain lions are already under severe pressure. Roads, sprawl, vehicle strikes, rodenticides, wildfire, and habitat fragmentation isolate populations and increase the risk of inbreeding. In February 2026, state wildlife officials listed several Southern California and Central Coast mountain lion populations as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.

The Northlake project threatens to make this crisis worse. Conservation advocates warn that the 1,300-acre development would pave over a pristine stream, damage habitat, and block a critical wildlife connectivity area for mountain lions and other animals. The project also raises concerns for western spadefoot habitat and wildfire safety.

Los Angeles County should not approve development that cuts off wildlife movement in a region already investing heavily in wildlife crossings and habitat connectivity. Mountain lions need real, connected landscapes, not isolated fragments surrounded by roads and housing.

Please rescind approval of the Northlake development, require a new environmental review, protect the creek and wildlife corridor, fully evaluate western spadefoot habitat, and require any future plan to avoid blocking movement between major wildland areas. County planning should prioritize habitat connectivity, fire safety, and compliance with state wildlife protections.

Mountain lions are part of Southern California’s natural heritage. They cannot survive on symbolic protection alone. They need the land connections that allow them to move, breed, and remain genetically healthy.

Please protect this corridor before it is lost.

Sincerely,

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