The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved $4,500 in funding for three GPS collars to track mountain lions in the Tehachapi Mountains.
The money comes from fines charged for fish and wildlife code violations.
The animals will be tracked by state researchers working on the Tehachapi Mountain Lion Project.
The mountain range in Los Angeles and Kern counties links wildlife populations in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains to those along the central and southern coasts of California, according to board documents.
Because mountain lions range over a wide area, authorities say they can help researchers understand what habitats need to be conserved to maintain wildlife.