• Rescue dogs are helping researchers track bobcat and mountain lion scat along State Route 62, where hundreds of animals are killed on the highway near Joshua Tree National Park.

• DNA surveys before and after wildlife crossings are built will help experts understand how well the structures reconnect isolated groups of lions.

• The research could fill major information gaps as California moves ahead with dozens more wildlife crossings.

State Route 62 will be the focus of the study ahead of two planned wildlife crossings over the highway located east of the Victor Valley.