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March 23. 2011
^ortlanb (Observer
Wily Coyote Moves In
c o n t i n u e d f r o m fr o n t
F or som e, such ex trao rd in ary
sightings are surprising and b eau ti­
ful, but many local people are alarm ed
and fearful.
A coyote seeking refuge in an
urban surrounding is no new co n ­
cept, and one pack has settled in
these hum an habitats for alm ost
eight years now . H ow ever, the furry
m utts usually tend to keep a low
profile, avoiding hum ans, and sur­
viving on a diet o f rodents, ra c ­
coons, and insects.
O nly recently have these c a r­
nivorous creatures dem onstrated a
change in b ehavior w ith increased
attem pts to hunt and kill fam ily pets
and backyard livestock.
In response to a rise in coyote-
related pet deaths, a neighborhood
m eeting w as held earlier this m onth
to help people understand urban
coyotes, and bring aw areness and
conflict m anagem ent strategies to
concerned com m unity m em bers.
T he U rban C oyote Project forum
w as led by B row er; A udubon S oci­
ety o f Portland C onservation D irec­
tor Bill Salinger; and the group o f
PSU student researchers.
C oyotes are here to stay, the
presenters explained.
If coyotes are rem oved o r e x ter­
m inated in a territory, others quickly
travel from outside areas, as m uch
as 60 m iles a day, to take th eir place.
T hus, the first response to trap or
e lim in a te th e s p e c ie s p r o v e s
unbeneficial.
So, how can w e learn to live w ith
these an im als in a w ay that g u aran ­
tees the safety o f people, pets, and
c o y o te s ?
co m p o st bins and rem oving fallen
fruit from yards. R esidents are ad ­
vised to never deliberately approach
co y o tes to scare them aw ay. K eep­
ing house pets indoors, especially
from dusk to daw n w hen coyotes
are m ost active is advised.
T he actual threat o f coyotes at­
tacking people is rare.
T h o u g h co y o tes have been bad
g u y s in m yth and reality, we can all
w ork to follow the advice o f experts
to d isco u rag e th eir troubling b e ­
h av io r and fear not the w ild and
u n c o n tro lla b le c re a tu re s liv in g
am ong us.
R esearch ers say o ur best a lte r­
native is to “ restore instinctive b e ­
hav io r” in the anim als by refusing to
feed coyotes and m ake them feel as
u nw elcom e as possible.
“ M ake them unw elcom e. L ock
up cats and ducks. Yell very loud
w hen you see them . Y ou w ant them
to run from you. Y ou w ant to throw
things and scare them . T h ere safety
and o ur safety depend on them b e ­
ing afraid o f us. Y o u ’ve got to yell
really lo u d ,” B ro w er advises.
E xperienced by her ow n research
in v o lv in g y a k h e r d s , T ib e ta n
w olves, and snow leopards in the
Him alayas, B row er explains how one
p erson system atically feeding c o y ­
otes day after day after day, m akes
th e m v e ry c o m fo rta b le a ro u n d
people, and once a co y o te has been
habituated, such h um anized b eh av ­
io r is disp ersed am ong the pack and
ev en tu ally the young.
O th e r s u g g e s tio n s to re d u c e
hu m an -co y o te conflicts are found
on the P ortland A udubon Society
w ebsite. T h ey include taking action
to secure garbage can covers and
O llU S C llD C ’
503-288-0033
il,v Portland (Dhseruer
You don’t have to save the w orld.
Just turn the bathroom lights off.
4th Grader Puts Community First
T h e d o n a te d g if ts in c lu d e d
gam es and lots o f colorful art sup­
plies.
M y L ittle W aiting R oom c e l­
ebrates its first birthday next m onth.
In the past year, it provided drop-in
child care to the parents o f m ore
than 1,300 children.
M y Little W aiting Room is the
N orthw est’s first drop-in child care
facility to be located inside a hospital.
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Sophia Anderson (left) and Melissa Young, coordinator at My
Little Waiting Room at Providence St. Vince Medical Center, look
over the birthday gifts Sophia is donating to the drop-in child
center.
Sophia A nderson, a fourth grader
at B onny Slope E lem entary School,
has set an exam ple for unselfish ­
n e ss.
W hen Sophia recently celebrated
her 10th birthday, she asked her
friends to bring presents that could
be donated to M y Little W aiting
R oom , a drop-in child care facility at
P ro v id en ce St. V incent M edical
C enter.
Page 5
If we all make simple changes, we can make a big impact. Turning off lights when you
leave a room is a good start. You can also install energy-saving compact fluorescent
light bulbs, lower your thermostat, replace energy-craving appliances with ENERGY
STAR appliances and much more. You'll save energy, money and you’ll be doing
your part. You II find plenty o f energy-saving answers at pacificpower.net
PACIFIC P O W E R
Let’s turn the answers on.
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