Camilla Fox and Ashley DeLaup of PROJECT COYOTE have teamed up with the town of Superior, Colorado to implement a Coyote hazing and public awareness campaign to foster co-existance...This, rather than the trapping and killing of our SONGDOGS which so often is the knee-jerk reaction of communities across America when Coyote take up residence within town borders............PROJECT COYOTE is more active than ever and is making significant headway in fostering tolerance and respect for the most successful canid on the planet---The Coyote

Superior, Colorado teams up with Project Coyote to educate public, form 'coyote crews'
By John Aguilar
dailycamera.com

Tips for living in coyote country
 Do not allow  your pets to roam, especially at night. Make sure your yard is appropriately fenced, with a 6-foot fence, or keep your dog in an enclosed kennel.
 Do not allow  dogs to run with coyotes. Although it appears they are "playing," coyotes can turn on dogs to defend their territory.
 Don't leave  pet food outside.
 Keep  garbage in a storage facility or in a tightly sealed container. Clean garbage cans regularly.
 Keep  pets on a leash.
 If you meet  a coyote, throw rocks or sticks to frighten it away and use a loud, authoritative voice to frighten it.
Source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
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Superior residents may soon get information about coyotes from more than just a sign posted at a trailhead or a brochure posted online. Starting this summer, the town's first "coyote crew" -- a group of volunteers organized to give face-to-face advice and tips to fellow residents about how to deal with the wild animals -- should start making the rounds on the town's trails and open space properties.

The effort is the result of a partnership the town is entering into with nonprofit wildlife advocacy group Project Coyote. "It's part of a broader effort to get the message out so that people will know what to do when they see a coyote," said Alan McBeath, Superior's superintendent of parks and open space. "We've got some direct links to broad swaths of open space and quick routes for coyotes to come in."

The town of 12,500 has had its share of coyote encounters over the years -- primarily with pets disappearing from backyards and coyotes trotting past residents on the town's walking trails -- but there have been no reports of recent attacks on people in Superior.

The town has taken measures to decrease any potential threat. In March 2011, during breeding season, Superior lobbed ammonia-soaked tennis balls into suspected coyote dens along Rock Creek in an effort to dissuade the predators from making their homes there.

But McBeath said the town wants to do even more to assure that human-animal confrontations don't occur by educating residents about what to do when they encounter a coyote. It is paying $2,500 to Project Coyote for a six-month contract.  "This is going to be an amazing model for other towns in how to proactively address potential conflicts and concerns over living with wildlife," said Ashley DeLaup, wildlife ecologist and Colorado representative for California-based Project Coyote.
DeLaup said her group will make presentations on the topic and give advice to the town in drafting its coyote management plan. The first public meeting is scheduled for July 12. "We want people to understand what normal coyote behavior is and how a coyote conflict can happen," she said.

Last summer, coyotes in neighboring Broomfield bit three small children. In response, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers killed 11 of the animals in that city last year. Broomfield started up its own heightened coyote awareness program, including forming a 15-person coyote crew in January.
Broomfield Open Space and Trails Director Kristan Pritz said the "personal citizen-to-citizen contact" that a coyote crew provides is "very important."

"Broomfield County Commons is a place where we've had crew members walk in the mornings and evenings and let people know to keep their dogs on a leash," she said. There's nothing that supplants neighbor-to-neighbor contact in effectively getting the word out, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said Thursday. "Sometimes people hear a message a lot better when it comes from a neighbor rather than an authority," she said.

Churchill said people living in coyote country should exercise caution now because this is the time of year when coyote pups are being born. "They have more mouths to feed, and they will quickly take pets in order to feed their young," she said.

DeLaup, of Project Coyote, said people may also observe coyotes seemingly "escorting" them along, ensuring that the people walk away from their den.

"We share our rural and urban landscapes with coyotes, and this necessitates understanding how to reduce negative encounters between wildlife, people and their domestic animals," she said.