Beau Bridges Shares How the Nature Around L.A. — Including Mountain Lions in His Yard — Inspires Him (Exclusive)

Beau Bridges narrates the new Ecoflix documentary "Wildlife on the Edge"

Beau Bridges loves that he lives "a stone's throw" from the Santa Monica Mountains and their many hiking trails.

"My family and I go in there all the time. We take our grandchildren," Bridges, 82, tells PEOPLE of the wilderness surrounding Los Angeles.

Growing up near the Santa Monica Mountains and living near the area for most of his life has given Bridges a fondness and respect for the plants and animals that also call the area home — and a host of animal encounter stories to tell.

"We see a lot of wildlife. I've had a mountain lion run across my backyard before. So I love being so close to nature and the animals that live there," he says.

This appreciation led Bridges to Wildlife of the Edge, a documentary film narrated by the Matlock actor that explores the diverse wildlife living in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles and the challenges these animals face navigating the world so close to humans.

Wildlife of the Edge follows wildlife photographer Robert Martinez as he places trail cameras throughout the mountains to give Angelenos an intimate look at their animal neighbors. It also shows the progress being made on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, L.A.'s first highway crossing for wild animals.

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"I was really excited when I heard about the Annenberg Foundation building this wildlife bridge," Bridges says, adding that when he heard the bridge would be part of the documentary, "I jumped on it."

The actor thinks viewers will find Wildlife on the Edge "informative and funny," he hopes the film inspires animal lovers to be better neighbors to the wildlife around them.

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"I think all those living species depend on each other," Bridges says.

"Hopefully, watching this documentary will inspire people to get out and walk into nature and see what's out there because we're surrounded by so much concrete and buildings. You have to consciously take that time to go and just be at one with this incredible planet that we live on," he adds, noting that his interactions with nature are inspiring adventures. "If you don't get out there and see it, you're not aware of what's going on."

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Wildlife on the Edge is available to watch on Ecoflix, which describes itself as "the first not-for-profit streaming channel dedicated to saving animals and the planet." Ecoflix subscribers assign 100% of their membership expenses to be donated to the nonprofit of their choice.

"We are thrilled to launch our latest documentary, which furthers our goal of raising awareness about the plight of animals around the world," David Casselman, founder and CEO of Ecoflix, said in a statement. "Part of our focus is highlighting the simple beauty of wild animals living among us as we hope to inspire nature-based solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss. Wildlife on the Edge is unique in that it focuses on amazing wild animals that live almost invisibly in and around our cities."

To view Wildlife on the Edge and learn more about Ecoflix, visit ecoflix.com.

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