PROTECTING WOLVES
Victory for California Wolves!

While the war against wolves continues in many areas across North America, Californians have made it clear that they want wolves protected! Last month, Project Coyote representatives and supporters provided compelling testimony before the California Fish and Game Commission in favor of listing wolves under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). A historic vote of *3 to 1 in favor of listing gray wolves under the
CESA ensured that wolves can safely expand into California from neighboring Oregon. The importance of the listing cannot be overstated, particularly as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers removing wolves from the federal Endangered Species list, abandoning wolf management to individual states.

Leading the vote to list wolves, Commission President Michael Sutton stated, “No species is more iconic in the American West than the Gray Wolf… We owe it to them to do everything we can to help them recolonize their historic range in our state.”

The vote came hours after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that wolf OR7, the first known wolf to travel into California since 1924, and a mate have produced a litter of pups in southwest Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Wolves in Oregon are protected by the Oregon Endangered Species Act. Now OR7 and his family will also be protected in California, part of OR7’s range for the past 4 years.

“We commend Commissioners Baylis, Sutton and Rogers for putting wildlife conservation, science, and ethics at the fore by protecting wolves dispersing into California and setting in motion a ban on wildlife killing contests,” stated Camilla Fox in Project Coyote’s news release. “Wildlife prevailed at this historic meeting and the public made it clear through thousands of letters and thoughtful testimonies that they want to see predators protected in California.”

 (*Commissioners Richard Rogers, Michael Sutton, and Jack Baylis voted in support of CESA listing. Commissioner Jacqueline Hostler-Carmesin voted against. Commissioner Jim Kellogg was absent.)
 
CHALLENGING WILDLIFE KILLING CONTESTS IN CA & OR

California
Project Coyote is leading an effort to ban senseless wildlife-killing contests in California. Despite the incomprehensible cruelty and predictable ecological destruction, wildlife-killing contests abound. In February, Project Coyote petitioned the Commission after a coyote-killing contest in Modoc County, CA put wolf OR-7 in harm’s way. Commissioners Baylis, Sutton and Rogers showed their support. On June 4^th, Camilla Fox, presented the Commission with a letter signed by 36 preeminent scientists as well as peer-reviewed literature supporting the arguments made in the letter that wildlife-killing contest can increase livestock depredation, create ecological instability and generally fail to boost ungulate populations.
 
“To me the bottom line is that wildlife killing contests are unsportsmanlike, send the wrong message to our young hunters, and give sportsmen/women a bad name in the eyes of the public,” said Commission President Michael Sutton. “The vast majority of people in California are not hunters and they don’t understand how anyone could even want to participate in such an activity.”

The Commission continues to accept public comments on the issue and will hold at least one additional public hearing before a final vote on the issue (we will keep our CA supporters apprised of this issue for further public comment opportunities!). Read more about the issue in Camilla’s Sacramento Bee Op Ed - "The Case for Banning Wildlife-Killing Contests."

Oregon
Project Coyote and the Animal Legal Defense Fund challenged a coyote killing contest in Oregon, employing a unique legal angle. The lawsuit, filed against Duane Freilino, organizer of the annual JMK Coyote Hunting Contest in Crane, Harney County, Oregon, argues that the killing contest and associated betting competition constitutes a gambling enterprise which is illegal and deemed a public nuisance in the State of Oregon, where a court may stop illegal gambling events. Contestants paid an entry fee of $100 and top teams won cash prizes totaling more than $10,000 in categories such as “most kills” and “largest kill.” We will keep our supporters apprised of the outcome of the lawsuit!
 
REFORMING PREDATOR MANAGEMENT

Wildlife Services
With our allies, Project Coyote is making significant progress in ongoing efforts to expose the atrocities behind the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (USDA WS) predator control program. In a recent Washington Post article, “USDA’s Wildlife Services Killed 4 Million Animals in 2013; Seen as an Overstep by Some,” investigative reporter Darryl Fears provides a partial list of some of the more than 4 million animals killed, including 75,326 coyotes, 866 bobcats, 528 river otters, 3,700 foxes, 12, 186 prairie dogs, 973 red-tailed hawks, 419 black bears and at least three eagles.
 
Last year, we filed a joint petition (with the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Welfare Institute) with the USDA, which oversees Wildlife Services, to reform this agency. Unlike most federal agencies, USDA WS has no formal rules governing its practices and no public oversight! A response to the petition is required by law.
 
As a result of pressure from non-governmental organizations and members of Congress, a comprehensive audit of Wildlife Services is now underway. One objective is to "determine whether wildlife damage management activities were justified and effective." The audit of Wildlife Services by the USDA's Inspector General for “reckless predator control,” animal abuse and failure to account for costs was recently a featured story in the LA Times.
 
Project Coyote is also addressing this issue at the state and local levels. On June 30th, Project Coyote joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund and a coalition of conservation groups in sending formal letters to the Humboldt and Mendocino County boards of supervisors demanding the immediate termination of their contracts with the USDA WS. Wildlife Services kills tens of thousands of native wild animals in California every year. The letters make the case that the programs operate without adequate review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and violate the public trust doctrine and ask the counties to undertake appropriate environmental review. Under CEQA, the counties have a duty to review the impacts of activities that affect California's environment, including wildlife. Under the California public trust doctrine, the counties are obligated to regulate California's wildlife resources in a manner that benefits all citizens. The letters serve to inform the counties of their failure to follow the legal procedure mandated by CEQA and to fulfill their legal duties under the public trust doctrine. The letters also urge the counties to institute a non-lethal animal damage control program, similar to the one in Marin County, which recognizes the ecological benefits of predators. Just one day after our coalition’s demands for contract terminations were submitted, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors made the decision to delay renewal of their contract with Wildlife Services pending reevaluation of the issues!
 
Read more about USDA Wildlife Services’ lethal war against wildlife in Sacramento Bee reporter Tom Knudson’s investigative series here. And please sign and share our related change.org petition here.
 
Speaking up for Predator Conservation
Project Coyote’s Camilla Fox will present at the North America Congress for Conservation Biology (NACCB) biennial conference on June 15th at the University of Montana in Missoula. The NACCB provides a forum for presenting and discussing new research and developments in conservation science. Camilla will discuss proactive solutions to human-wildlife conflicts and successful community-based coexistence models in a session with colleagues from Defenders of Wildlife. More information can be found here.
 
Last month Camilla and PC Science Advisory Board member Dr. Robert Crabtree presented at the first Speak for Wolves: Yellowstone 2014 event aimed at raising awareness about wolves, the plights they face and opportunities for promoting collaboration and coexistence. Their evening film screenings and educational panel about the need for wildlife management agency reform was met with a standing ovation and lively discussion. Read more in the New York Times here.
 
Coexisting with Coyotes
Superior, CO- In June, Project Coyote announced the launch of a model Coyote Coexistence Plan with the town of Superior, Colorado. The progressive plan fosters human-coyote coexistence in a suburban environment. The plan is based on science and current best practices and centers on proactive and ongoing community education and outreach. All management decisions are based on a thorough understanding of the biology and ecology of coyotes.
 
“The Town of Superior is a trend-setter when it comes to advocating coexistence with urban wildlife,” said Ashely DeLaup, Project Coyote’s Colorado Representative. “We share our rural and urban landscapes with coyotes and this necessitates understanding how to reduce negative encounters.”

Coyotes are native to Colorado and they are a healthy component of both rural and urban communities serving a vital ecological role in reducing rodent populations and in maintaining bird species diversity and abundance by limiting mesocarnivore populations (e.g. foxes, raccoons, skunks, etc.).
 
On Thursday July 10^th Camilla Fox led a training and workshop for Walnut Creek Open Space staff about coyote ecology and behavior and how to promote coexistence and reduce conflicts.

On the East coast, Chris Schadler, Project Coyote New Hampshire and Vermont Representative, will present "Becoming Wolf: Eastern Coyote in New England" to a variety of communities and agencies across the Northeast this summer.
 
For more information please visit our Events page.

Carnivores in the News
In a recent article published in Science Magazine, Project Coyote Science Advisory Board members Dr. Adrian Treves and Dr. Jeremy Bruskotter cast doubt on widespread assumptions that financial incentives will solve poaching and intolerance for predators, when these seem to be more strongly driven by social norms within peer networks. They also questioned the notion that legalizing predator killing will prevent poaching. Read about their important findings here.
 

Rewilding Our Hearts
Project Coyote Science Advisory Board member's new book Rewilding our hearts: Building pathways of compassion and coexistence lays out the details for a much-needed social movement and paradigm shift that can help humans extricate ourselves from our ecocidal ways and contribute to a more peaceful world for all beings in these trying times of over-population, over-consumption, and habitat encroachment. Bekoff writes: "Rewilding is an attitude. It's also a guide for action. As a social movement, it needs to be proactive, positive, persistent, patient, peaceful, practical, powerful and passionate — which I call the eight Ps of rewilding. The time is right for an inspirational, revolutionary and personal social movement such as rewilding that can save us from doom and keep us positive while we pursue our hopes and dreams...We owe it to ourselves and to future generations who will inherit the world we leave them long after we're gone."

OUR PACK EXPANDS!
 
Meet Edward Goodman ~ Advisory Board

Project Coyote is excited to welcome Ed Goodman to our Advisory Board! Ed Goodman has practiced law for 30 years and is a graduate of the University of Rochester and the University of Michigan Law School. Ed has been a disability attorney virtually all of his career, first as a mental health attorney representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and then as a social security disability attorney in New Mexico. Aside from his legal endeavors, Ed advocates for animals; as a print reporter and columnist writing about animal legal issues, as a fundraiser for animal welfare organizations, as an artist celebrating dogs, coyotes and other wildlife and as an informal lobbyist for legal and legislative change. Recently, Ed drafted and successfully advocated for a no-kill ordinance for stray dogs and cats as well as a ban on stationary tethering of dogs. Ed has a special interest in the rescue and rehabilitation of blind dogs and lives with seven special needs canines, including two who are blind.

Protecting coyotes is close to Ed’s heart and we are delighted that he has joined our advisory board.
 
Meet Deborah Etheredge ~ Creative Associate

Deb is a talented and creative designer who we are thrilled to welcome to our team! Deb is an award winning creative arts director, originally from Australia, who now calls the Bay Area home. Growing up on a steady diet of David Attenborough documentaries and family camping trips, Deb developed an enduring interest in and appreciation of nature and wildlife. Her husband is a San Francisco native who convinced her to live in Marin County, where she is fortunate to see native wildlife almost every day. She has been particularly thrilled to see coyotes near downtown San Francisco on more than one occasion.

Striking the balance between art and commerce, Deb possesses an MBA (Marketing) as well as degrees in Graphic Design and Visual Arts. She uses her extensive creative skills to assist Project Coyote with branding as well as creating marketing and communications collateral materials. She believes that well considered designs are an asset in educating and motivating a community of supporters.
 
Volunteer Spotlight!
 
Meet Kelly Edwards ~ Communications Associate

Project Coyote benefits from the talent and generosity of a team of extraordinary volunteers. Kelly Edwards has recently joined Project Coyote in the official capacity of Communications Associate. A graduate of the CU, Kelly is a graphics designer and a wildlife enthusiast. Born in Durango and growing up in Boulder County, Kelly developed a love of the outdoors and a keen interest in native wildlife. As Communications Associate for Project Coyote, Kelly assists with social networking, educational outreach, and graphic design.

Kelly now lives on an 80-acre horse farm with her husband Ian, their newborn daughter Haley Rose Edwards, two dogs, two cats and one horse. They share the farm with a resident pack of coyotes. She sees them often, hears their songs, and finds coexistence easy by simply supervising her dogs carefully and keeping her cats indoors.

She originally learned about the plight of coyotes in a college course when the professor showed Doug Hawes-Davis' film “Killing Coyote” that outlined their misdirected wholesale slaughter. Shocked by what she learned, and having been unaware of the war on native wildlife, she became involved with Project Coyote to make a difference.

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Would you like to help coyotes and wildlife by volunteering? If so, please email our Operations Director, Karina Grasso, krasso@projectcoyote.org.