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Although these majestic cats once roamed freely throughout the
southeastern United States, today they are restricted to less than
5 percent of their original range. If the panther population grows,
which wildlife scientists hope it will, the cats will need much more
room than they have now. That will mean moving north, where
there is more habitat suitable for them: swamps, forests, and
prairies where panthers can live, breed, and raise their young.
There is a problem, however, when the panthers start migrat-
ing north—roads that they must cross, which are a deadly haz-
ard. “In that direction lies a landscape criss-crossed with miles of
roads,” says Fleming. “And as far too many of these endangered
panthers have learned over the years, they are no match for a
speeding car.”
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Fleming’s hope is that programs like the Habitat
Conservation Plan can help prevent panthers and other wildlife
from continuing to lose critical habitat as human development
crowds them even more than it is today.
A Company That Cares
Along with wildlife scientists and other environmental profession-
als, many businesses are concerned about endangered wild-
life and the loss of habitat. This is true of the technology giant
Google, a company that is widely known for being environmen-
tally responsible, devoted to sustainability, and committed to us-
ing 100 percent renewable energy. Google’s headquarters is a
huge office complex in Mountain View, California. One hundred
fifty years ago, the site was covered in grasslands, wildflower-
filled meadows, and wetlands. Also, there were sprawling groves
of willow trees and abundant oaks. Later, a large chunk of the
land was cleared for farming, and it remained that way for de-
cades. Then in the 1990s it became the site of an office park. In
2003, when Google moved into the building, the company began
working with teams of professionals to restore the landscape to
its natural state as much as possible.
In one project the landscape group worked closely with the
City of Mountain View to expand a small willow grove called the
Charleston Retention Basin. This expansion was an effort to re-
create the massive groves that once grew throughout the area.
