Final Blog

To address this final blog I thought the best thing to do would be to point out what I have learned. The first thing is that there is some public attention to the problem. The local conservation group of Narragansett Bay is attempting to teach and show the public that the coyote problem can be managed with careful control of the human environment. Simple put don't feed the coyotes.
In fact I think that simple statement has been the theme throughout this entire blogging experiment.
The second issue is that there is an open hunting season on the animals that does not seem to be used to its full advantage. Nusaince animals will continue to be a nusiance until they are put down. These animals are not able to be recondition to their lives outside of human interfierence. Simple put if humans don't want coyotes hunted ****STOP FEEDING THEM.***** The coyote problem is one that we as humans have created and will continue to bungle. The problem in the world of conservation and preservation has always been and always will be humans. We have no respect for nature and until we do Mother Nature will continue to find a way to bite us on the ass as we deserve.

In conclusion DON"T FEED THE COYOTES.

Coyote Council Minutes full moon 7 of the year

Please lets bring this meeting to order. Today's agenda is Humans to interact or to not interact. Chief Fuzzy of the eastern branch of the deer eaters has brought the information that the humans are continuing to try to establish contact with our kind. Please note that the domesticated coyotes that they have in there homes do not have the freedom of life that we enjoy and we are still determining if interaction is in the best interest of out group. Humans continue to provide us with food and shelter. We have had several non confrontational interactions with the group. Although the Western Compost Chompers report that they humans continue to catch our brethren and put the funny decorations around our necks like they do to their personal coyotes. Good news the decoration does not cause you to live in a human home and give up your free lifestyle. Let us all thank Hairy Dog for bring us this news after his capture. We are all grateful for his safe return and the new information that he was able to give us. At this time we are creating a fact finding group to report back any new information on the humans and their attempts at interaction. At this time the council is still recomenting no direct interaction but feel free to avail yourselves of anything the humans leave for you. If any one would like more information of to join the research group please contact Secretary Big Hairy Toe or his mate Little tail.

Notice to all coyotes

Hi my animal friends. It has come to the attention of the local coyote council that the local humans may be trying to stop our spread into their habitat areas. Please be aware that at this time it is still just a rumor. The humans continue to let their furry friend the cat out for us to eat and the other human favorite the small dog is also being let out alone. I ask you my brothers and sisters if the human really wanted us gone would they not stop giving us taste morsels to dine upon. Also they continue this bizarre ritual of compost. These compost piles have delicious remnants of human dinner. These humans really know how to eat. When the council determines how to create disposable thumbs be aware that we will be conducting cooking classes. There is another fact that we must consider, the humans keep catching us and putting funny things around our necks. Everyone that has been caught returns fine with a new decoration. If the humans truly meant us harm would they not do it at the time we are vulnerable. Please remember if you spot any dangerous human report to the council so we may share the news and avoid the area. Also please continue to post where humans are leaving that lovely compost so we all may share in the good meals.
Thank you for your time and attention coyote council OOOOWWWWUUUUUUU.

Spring Coyote Developments

This spring coyote hunting became an actively sought method of coyote management. As part of the short term population control. Longer term goals focus on removing food sources so that the animals downsize through moving to other locations or natural die off because lack of food resource.

The large population areas are focused around residential areas. Not surprisingly because of humans and the amount of food that they leave around. These areas also have the animals that are more aggressive and dangerous.

The long term management option is for education of the human population. To this effect the groups involved in creating a solution are education the children of the area in the proper was of dealing with the population. This leads to a generation that will be able to cope with the problems that we will be facing in a few years if the short term and long term population controls are not effective.

The important part here is that a control solution is being proactivly attempted. There has been a complex study completed that has offered goals and solutions. There is now an attempt at a solution. There is action being taken to help solve the problem. We have to watch this solution to see its affect. But there is at least progress.

Don't Feed the Coyotes

This blog is an assignment for class. Part of the assignment was to create a tee shirt that made a statement about our desired topic. I made my tee shirt theme around don't feed the coyotes. Surprisingly the slogan is more popular than I thought. Many articles and newspapers have the same theme. Who knew.

So I've picked up on the theme that seems to permeate the discussion of coyotes. Don't feed them. This simple message is being lost in translation. Animal lovers who are feed these animals thinking they are helping are making a bad situation worse. The biggest influence that these people are having is that the animals are losing their fear of humans.

The actually topic of coyotes in the area has little information available. But one theme continues to permeate is the don't feed them theme. One would think with a simple idea as this that a message could be delivered to people and affect change. That's the problem how do you get people to want to take action. If you cannot encourage people to take a simple action of not feeding coyotes how do you get them to interact on a larger scale.

So my blog here is supposed to have some political point and effect. I wonder how much effect I can have. I can state my opinions but how do I create a movement. Then we go on to the larger question if I manage to inspire people to action, what do I want to do after the class is over. I can almost guarantee that my interest will disappear. I took a topic that is odd and off of the beaten path because of the potential to be different. But I wonder if at the end I will be like I was before the class disassociated with the political world around me.

Open Season on Coyotes

How simple is the statement don't leave food outside. Yet this simple statement cannot be comprehended by adult. Food left outside attracts animals. Animals mean coyotes. Bringing these animals into your yard and getting them used to human interaction make the unafraid of humans. Coyotes unafraid of humans are more likely to become troublesome.

The Narragansett Bay Coyote Study has show that humans feeding coyotes are causing a major problem. The animals are increasing in population and some are becoming nuisances. Yet people cannot comprehend that they need to stop feeding the animals. In April of 2011 open season was declared on coyotes. A hunter was hired to begin reducing the population in Middletown. People begin to complain the horrible hunter with his gun is going to hurt the poor animals. The poor animals are on the verge of becoming a very big issue, why because the people will not stop feeding these animals.

My own family is guilty of the same crime. But we learned very quickly that food no longer goes outside. We were lucky and mended our ways others need to do the same. If you do not want the animals hunted you need to stop feeding them. The population will reduce naturally. People do not want to think that their actions are causing harm but the people who engage in this feeding are not going to have the same attitude when their animals go missing and their own safety is threatened. We are dealing with animals that are not aggressive towards humans generally, we are making them aggressive. We are the species that needs to under go change.

While I admitted that I have no issue with the animals being hunted. I will admit that I have an issue with animals starving because of over population. Being killed instantly is more humane than starving to death. The study that is being conducted is showing us who the animals are that are and issue and more importantly they are showing the people who are an issue.

Local Coyote Management Study

In the winter of 2010 a multiple year study of coyotes located on Aquidneck Island yielded much information on the habits of local animals. The animals were tagged with collars that had GPS technology and reported the animals location on a daily basis after a year the collars were taken of the animals remotely. Working with locals and the schools systems the study yielded much valuable information about the habits of the animals. The most notable part of the study was that human involvement was leading to the population increases and the lack of fear of humans. Meaning that because people were feeding them the animals were becoming acclimated to humans. The other way the coyotes were feeding was carcases of large dead animals, road kill and farm animals that were left. The group that conducted the study is now studing a new carcass removal program for large animals. The group maintains that the human provided food needs to stop to prevent the coyote populations growth. Less food means that the families will have to range farther for food and have larger territories reducing the number of breeding family groups in the area. The novelty of this study is that it involves a group of animals that are to successful.

The group also works with local schools to teach them about coexhistance with the animals. Teaching the young to deal with these animals provides us with a group that will recognize the importance of proper management practices.

The GPS tracking that was done with these animals is amazing. They have maps that show how the animals range. What a wonder technology is. I wonder how many parents wish they could track their children the same way.

Information on Coyotes

Interesting point the last press release sent by the State of RI about coyotes was sent out in 1998. Considering that we have a population of animals that is constantly increasing why isn't more information available to the public at this time? Is it a case of out of site out of mind until there is a larger problem that needs to be addressed? We have a history of overreaction when it comes to animal issues. One only has to think of the fisher cats that were brought in up in New Hampshire to control the porcupine population. These fisher cats that are know to be very dangerous nasty little animals have now traveled from their homes in New Hampshire and are invading the east coast. Our animal control policies seem to cause more harm than good. What is the solution going to be when the coyote population gets out of control? Bring in wolves. It sounds funny but the reality of American expansion is that coyotes have expanded there habitat. Wolves were decimated by hunters. And now were are on the verge of a crisis when it comes to the coyotes how are we going to fix it?

Conservation and Preservation

Today on the radio I heard an advertisement for conservation preservation in the area. The point of the ad was to had land that is designated as no hunting zones to preserve our natural wild life. I'm all for conservation. We need to keep animals off of endangered lists and preserve the species that we have. We've all seen the devastation that decimated the bald eagle, Wolf, and buffalo populations of North American. But how do we determine what is an appropriate level and what do you do when the populations become to much for the local habit ates? We already have hunting laws in place to protect animal population levels, land can be posted to prevent hunting on private property, and normal hunters safety rules prevent shooting with in so many feet of private property. I understand the propaganda that is put out that it is so horrible to hunt a poor helpless animal. Doesn't Bambi show us how horrible hunting is. But lets turn this theory on its ear, animal populations with no predators. Populations that become so large the food source cannot handle the populations. Bambi isn't taken out by a hunter instead they starve because of lack of food.

Why the coyote has survived

The Canis latrans if the official name for the coyote. The animals has managed to survive because the animal is adaptable and has great survival instincts. These survival instincts have given the animals the ability to survive in a variety of settings that would not be thought possible. The live in country settings and they are also living in Pawtucket. Why has the animals moved to urban settings? Because of people. We are our own greatest enemies. Our simple habits of trash disposal can attract any kind of animal. The trash practices that we used on the family farm attracted coyotes. We had a crazy cocker spaniel that used to stand in the corner of the room and bark so one night she was out side barking. No big deal, she barks at nothing all the time. As the barking continued we went outside and checked on her. She was nose to nose with a coyote who was thankfully more interested in the garbage that has been thrown out. The family practice on the farm had always been to throw household scraps outside the main kitchen door for the birds and skunks. My grandfather always feed the skunks. We used to set of the car alarms when we left the house to scare off the skunks before we left the house. The practice of throwing out this food had been practiced at this house for the almost hundred years that my family had owned the property. But it finally lead to the attraction of the wrong sort of animal. Even previously to this incident we were aware of coyotes in the area, coyotes had attempted to attack a small child and dog down the street a few years before. But no one had thought of changing our habits to help protect our family pets. Habits like this have aided in the survival and the animals adapting to our environment.

American Expansion

As Americas expanded across the open plains of the Unites States this expansion had an unforeseen consequence. Animals native to certain parts of the US used the new roads and bridges created to expand themselves into new parts of the US. As predator animals were hunted down almost to the point of extinction, these animals were able to breed and survive with out the natural population reductions they had been subject to previously. The issues involved with animals under the protection of the Endangered species acts and other animals under protection statuses can be be debated ad nasium. The point is that a crisis situation is building with the current coyote population in the New England area. While the situation is still contained and has not become a major problem at this time in a few years I doubt the same can be said. The time for a plan for sensible population control of these animals is now. I do not claim to have a answer of even a hit of a plan for a control solution but I can state the time to start paying attention is know.

Societal Changes and the Ecological effect

I have the benefit of a build in sounding block. Quite often the discussions that ensue from the block are rather strange but sometimes they come with a deep social commentary. How many broken homes are there in this country? (I know your asking what does this have to do with coyotes but I'm getting there.) Hunting had been critical part of the development of America, what ever your stance on the subject you cannot deny that early settlers had to hunt. This was a tradition that was passed down from father to son. With the increased number of broken homes in this country is the art of hunting dying out? Coyotes lack natural predators. The only predator that is left is human. If the traditions that taught the youth how to hunt have died out as well as an increased coyote population we could be facing a crisis in a few years with an overlarge bold coyote population. I was a daughter in a family that hunted. Women were not allowed to go out and hunt. We had to stay home, all move into one house so we would be safe, and were periodically checked on by male family friends. I guess they were afraid of the damage we could do home alone. But as I got older I questioned why wasn't I allowed to hunt? The answer was because I was a girl. This answer was never given at any other time, I needed to learn every other male skill so that I could be a productive member of society. I was not to grow up and be useless like my father sisters. But the buck stopped at hunting, even though I was a better shot than my brother and father.

My rambling comes down to these questions. Are broken homes contributing to the lack of knowledge with hunting. Are girls given the shaft because of ingrained social gender roles that don't allow then to participate in these activities. How many more years do we have before the crisis point is reached with the local coyote population.