Chris Schadler’s Talk on Coyotes Attracts Standing- Room-Only Crowd

Thanks to Cynthia Wyatt, Jeff Tarbox and Katharine Cundill for these photos of the 2019 presentation by Chris Schadler.

Conservation biologist Chris Schadler spoke about ‘The Real Eastern Coyote’ to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 70 at the Middleton Town Hall on a rainy Sunday afternoon in March. This free public presentation was co-sponsored by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG) and Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust (BHF/CSFCT).

A canidexpert with 30 years of wolf and coyote research, Schadler is the NHrepresentative of Project Coyote and a co-founder of the NH Wildlife Coalition,which fosters co-existence with coyotes and more generally advocates forresponsible conservation of predator species. In accord with her experience,Schadler presented copious information about eastern coyotes, a widespread butcommonly maligned species throughout New Hampshire.

Coyotes are notnative to New England. This highly adaptive animal migrated from the western U.S.to our area in the middle of the 20th century, filling the void left bythe extirpation of wolves. Eastern coyotes are hybridized with red wolves andlarger than their western coyote relatives but smaller than wolves, having havebigger ears and longer tails.

Schadleremphasized that coyotes play a valuable natural role and provide ecosystemservices. Although their diet is very adaptable, they frequently hunt smallerpredators, including raccoons and foxes, which benefits populations of groundbirds such as quail and waterfowl. Coyotes also consume carcasses and keeprodents in check, which helps control ticks and associated diseases. As withany predator, coyotes cull out the sick, which benefits the health of the preyspecies population.

Although itis common for farmers or pet owners to claim they need to kill coyotes toprotect their animals, Schadler asserted that it is possible for us to co-existwith coyotes. Keeping in mind that coyotes hunt both day and night, preventivemeasures, such as electric fencing, leashing pets, and denying access to pet orbird food, are effective if used consistently. In contrast, killing one or moreof a dominant coyote pair will disrupt the family structure, disperse the pack,and cause an increase in the coyote population and the number of coyote attacks.Left intact, the pack’s population is self-regulating based on availability offood and habitat. Only the dominant monogamous pair will reproduce, an averageof 4 to 6 pups with 50% natural attrition of the litter.

April andMay are when coyotes birth their pups, during which time a dominant maleguarding the den may be particularly testy. Schadler advised that if a snarlingcoyote is encountered, “Stay calm and retreat slowly and quietly.” On the otherhand, the sound of coyotes howling should not worry humans; it generally meansthat pack is being called in.

Thetake-away message from Schadler’s presentation was that the eastern coyote is adesirable predator species in our ecosystem and does not deserve its currentstatus as the most persecuted carnivore in NH. The complete lack ofrestrictions on killing coyotes by any method and the common practice ofkilling contests were obvious sources of distress to Schadler, who devotes mucheffort to increasing public understanding of and respect for this uniquespecies.

Branch Hill Farm/the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust works to protect open space and working forests and to educate the public about sound forestry, conservation and agricultural practices; see www.branchillfarm.org.