WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Greenwood Village Approves Contentious Coyote Plan

Council Cuts Off Public Comment; Argues with Audience
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. - Last night, Greenwood Village approved a coyote plan that allows all “non-wary” coyotes in the city to be shot in a contentious city council meeting that turned into a heated argument between the council and the audience. The argument began after Mayor Sharpe accused an audience member of mischaracterizing the city’s approach to coyote control as indiscriminate. Every member of the council who spoke defended the city’s killing program, while every member of the audience who spoke opposed the killing.

The council meeting was delayed by an hour, during which time the council held a closed executive session with the private shooter, Jay Stewart, hired to reduce the city’s coyote population. Shortly after the regular city council meeting started, a 15-minute public comment session was held, during which Greenwood Village residents and representatives from WildEarth Guardians and The Humane Society of the United States spoke against the city’s controversial coyote killing.

“It is dangerous to allow firearms use within our city limits. There could be serious unintended consequences from missed shots or ricocheting bullets in which responsibility will be placed directly upon the city government. We have told the council time and time again that science shows that coyote population control doesn’t work. Last night the city council was unable to show us any research they have used as a basis for their unethical, costly, and dangerous decision,” stated Kristin Pittman of Greenwood Village.

When Mayor Sharpe attempted to close the public comment period, she accused an audience member of unfairly criticizing the city’s coyote control as indiscriminate. Members of the audience responded, asking the mayor and council how the ongoing control and the proposed plan weren’t indiscriminate, as the council has repeatedly advocated “thinning the coyote population” rather than targeted lethal control of proven aggressive animals, and the proposed plan allows any “non-wary” coyote to be killed.

Resident Randi Johnson said, “In my opinion, the Mayor wouldn’t and couldn’t answer this question because the lethal control is indiscriminate. A good example of this is as follows: Jay Stewart stated that he killed his first coyote a few weeks ago. The alleged ‘aggressive’ coyote incident with the teenager happened in December. No connection has been made between the ‘aggressor’ and the one killed. Another example is the trapping done two years ago, which is in and of itself, indiscriminate and would be part of the program today, if the city could obtain a permit.”

An extended back-and-forth ensued, in which council members accused the audience - the majority of which were Greenwood Village citizens - of not caring about threats to pets or children and ignoring the council. The audience responded that the council was ignoring input from citizens with whom it disagreed and ignoring science which shows that coyote “culling” doesn’t work, as the more coyotes are killed, the more they breed in response. The citizens also complained that the city has authorized denning - killing coyote pups in their dens. The citizens protested that coyote pups could not possibly be aggressive. The residents also complained that the city was trying to secure a permit for trapping, which voters restricted in 1996 because of its cruel and indiscriminate nature. At last night’s meeting, the mayor first denied that the city was going to trap coyotes, but later admitted that the only reason the city has not been trapping is that the state has not issued them a trapping permit.

The audience also pointed out to the city council that it was allowing a much narrower opportunity for input from citizens opposed to the coyote killing. Council meetings held on January 26 and February 2 allowed for several hours of complaints from citizens about coyotes (http://www.greenwoodvillage.com/index.asp?NID=215).

Despite the serious criticisms raised during the public comment period, and the heated argument after that public comment period, the council unanimously approved Councilman Jerry Presley’s proposed coyote policy with no discussion last night.

“Two years ago we confronted the City with scientific studies clearly describing how thinning efforts result in greater coyote populations. At that time they claimed a public safety issue based on unreliable and statistically impossible reports of coyote attacks from a highly excitable and uneducated minority. Now they claim higher pack numbers and a need for thinning the population. Their defensiveness at last night’s meeting is proof of their failed arguments and unstable footing. The science and logic are not on their side but they continue to follow the same baseless strategy at taxpayer expense. They are an embarrassment,” stated Carolyn Gillies, a long-time Greenwood Village Resident.

The City’s past and current killing programs undermine neighboring cities’ efforts to live peacefully with their wildlife and result in a serious ecosystem imbalance.

WildEarth Guardians and The Humane Society of the United States both filed comments prior to last night’s city council meeting detailing how the proposed coyote policy allowed for indiscriminate lethal control, which does not work to resolve coyote conflicts. Both groups have offered to assist Greenwood Village with a plan that emphasizes public education and coyote hazing if the city ends its broad lethal control program. For more information on these groups’ efforts to protect coyotes in the Denver metro area, contact Nicole Rosmarino of WildEarth Guardians at nrosmarino@wildearthguardians.org or Holly Tarry of The Humane Society of the United States at htarry@hsus.org.