LOS ANGELES — After years of dusty, dry hillsides, much of Southern California has turned green from record-breaking rain and snow this winter, which wildlife experts say has already started to improve habitats and populations for certain species — a trend they expect to reverberate through the entire landscape.
That is likely to mean the region will be populated with more squirrels, rabbits, rats and snakes — although, in some cases, it could take several months or longer to see the resulting surge in wildlife.
“This year had just been transformative throughout the region, just the amount of growth of everything,” said Daniel Cooper, a senior conservation biologist at the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. “Everything is just exploding right now.”
