NOVEMBER 2011 IN THIS ISSUE:
November 2011
As the holiday season approaches, we want to share some exciting news on the coyote front.
You may remember that in our last Coyote Chronicles, we reported a temporary victory in the city of Calabasas, California when the city manager suspended coyote killing after it was revealed that tax dollars were being spent to trap and kill coyotes in the community. YOU helped make that ban permanent! Read more below…
We are also thrilled to welcome famed actor, noted author, and wildlife advocate, Peter Coyote, to our Advisory Board.
And thank you for your support. Together we are making a difference for North America’s Song Dog.
Wishing you & your loved ones a joyous holiday season,
Camilla Fox,
Executive Director
Good News!
Victory Declared for Coyotes in the City of Calabasas, CA!
With your help, we scored a victory for coyotes this October when the City of Calabasas, Callifornia voted unanimously to prohibit further spending of city funds to trap and kill coyotes!
Generating over 9,000 comments and petition signatures calling for a permanent ban on coyote trapping, Project Coyote delivered these petitions and testified before the City Council offering an alternative approach to killing.
We assisted the city in crafting a long-term coyote management plan that emphasizes public education, reduction of coyote attractants and human responsibility in mitigating coyote conflicts.
Calabasas Mayor Pro Tem, Mary Sue Maurer, said, “With the expertise of Project Coyote, the Animal Welfare Institute and the National Park Service, Calabasas residents and coyotes will mutually benefit and live more harmoniously together. I encourage all Californians that live alongside coyotes to learn more about these wondrous creatures and how we coexist together.”
In the Spotlight
MEET PETER COYOTE
Famed actor, writer & wildlife champion joins Project Coyote Advisory Board
Most known for his acting career, Peter Coyote is also a passionate advocate for wildlife and wild nature. He has narrated over 130 documentaries including Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators.
Mr. Coyote has performed as an actor for some of the world’s most distinguished filmmakers, including Barry Levinson, Pedro Almodovar, Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderberg, and Sidney Pollack.
He has written a memoir of the 1960’s counter-culture called Sleeping Where I Fall, which received universally excellent reviews and has appeared on three best-seller lists.
Peter has been involved in conservation issues since boyhood, mentored by an ex-game warden who was his first hero. He has a particular fondness for coyotes and is a strong advocate for predator protection.
We are thrilled to have Peter Coyote join our advisory board and not just for his apropos name!
Read more about Peter Coyote and other Project Coyote team members here
Campaign Update
Targeting Coyote & Fox Penning in Indiana
Following on the heels of our collaborative victory in banning coyote and fox penning in Florida last year, we joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund in filing suit against the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) over the Department’s decision to waive state permit requirements for a coyote and fox penning facility near the town of Linton, Indiana.
As noted in earlier Coyote Chronicles, “penning” involves setting packs of dogs loose to chase down wild coyotes and foxes within fenced enclosures. Supporters of the practice claim that they are just training their dogs; they don’t intend to kill the coyotes and foxes. Yet eyewitness accounts indicate that often the dogs are not called off once they corner the wild canids, but instead maul them to death.
In addition to litigation, Project Coyote is working to stop the Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) from adopting rules that would further legitimize penning. With your immediate response to our call to action, we helped generate more than 3,700 comments calling for a statewide permanent ban on penning (compared to 64 comments in support of penning). The NRC has yet to approve final rules, and the lawsuit is pending.
In autumn, juvenile coyotes disperse from the den seeking new territories and mates
Coyotes love fruit
Coyotes are excellent rodent controllers!
Coyotes love fruit! Berries may comprise a large portion of their diet during certain times of the year.
We’re witnessing canid evolution in the Eastern U.S. where coyotes and wolves are hybridizing–raising questions about genetics and management (coyotes can be killed year round in many states while wolves are still protected in the East)
Coyotes in the News
SPEAKING UP FOR AMERICA’S SONG DOG
Victory! California City Unanimously Votes to End Coyote Trapping
Calabasas Offers a Cautious Olive Branch to Coyotes
Taxpayers Subsidizing Wild life Extermination Program, Probe Shows
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”
Howling in the Holidays!
Show your support & stock up on cool new Project Coyote Wares for the Holiday!
…our very popular BORN TO BE WILD t-shirts
…and SIGG water bottles
…and BORN TO BE WILD aprons
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For America’s Song Dog, Thank you.