Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2014 07 09

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I. Introduction The City of Louisville is a relatively small suburban city, located approximately 15 miles from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Louisville is an active community with a population of roughly 19,000 people and many pet owners. The City of Louisville owns or has an interest in over 1,800 acres of open space land, making Louisville an attractive recreation area for the community, and also great habitat for coyotes. Throughout the past 20 years Louisville's population has grown rapidly and, as with most of Colorado's growing suburbs, human - coyote sightings and conflicts are being reported more often. The purpose of this document is to present guidelines for responses to coyote interactions with particular interest in decreasing and resolving human - coyote conflicts. Coyotes are members of the family Canidae which includes wolves, dogs, and foxes. Coyotes are medium -sized mammals and closely resemble dogs in size with long snouts and pointed ears. Coyotes usually weigh between 30 -40 pounds and are 4 feet in length from nose to tail. Coyotes are native to Colorado and population numbers have risen with urban development. In every urban ecosystem throughout the Northern United States, with exceptions in areas of Northern Canada, coyote populations are successful (Gehrt and Riley, 2010). Wolves and coyotes once shared the same habitat, and the competition for food kept coyote populations lower than they are today (Riley, 2012). In the midst of urban sprawl, coyote populations have expanded as they become more habituated to city life where there are plenty of food sources, water, and shelter (Gehrt and Riley, 2010). As top predators in the urban ecosystem, coyotes help to balance prey populations in urban areas. Coyotes preferred diet includes small mammals, raccoons, bird eggs, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. However, coyotes are also opportunistic feeders and may prey on domestic animals if presented with the opportunity (Gehrt 2004c). Urban expansion has reduced coyotes hunting range; resulting in a change in the coyotes' diets. Coyotes are adaptable and clever, and may consume only human scraps, garbage, compost, and dog food when readily available (Denver Parks and Recreation, 2009). Coyotes are diurnal, meaning they can be active throughout the day or night. In urban areas coyotes prefer traveling at night to avoid people (Grinder and Krausman 2001; McClennen et al. 2001; Riley et al. 2003; Atwood et al. 2004); however, coyotes have been observed throughout all times of the day and have even been observed in downtown Louisville during the middle of the day. Research suggests that coyotes are more nocturnal in heavy populated areas and more diurnal in areas where open spaces are more prevalent (McClennen et al. 2001; Riley et al. 2003; Gehrt et al. 2011). II. Urban Coyote Ecology Coyote populations have been rising steadily and have expanded their range throughout rural areas showing their adaptability as human occupation has expanded (Gehrt, Anchor, and White, 2009). As coyotes have adjusted to life in the city, reports of coyote encounters, incidents, and accidents have become more prevalent. Coyotes can live in any part of the urban landscape and are most abundant in suburban areas where open space is available. Within the urban environment, coyotes have become habituated to city life. For example, in the wild, the coyote's territory can expand beyond 5 square Coyote Management Plan 3 10