As I am sure many of you have heard, the City of Centennial has been drafting a plan to address aggressive coyotes in the city. We have had many citizens contact us about losing pets to coyotes or being confronted by coyotes. We have also received testimony from wildlife experts about what other cities have done with coyote management plans.
In the end, the City Council adopted a tiered plan. It includes education, coyote hazing, and as a last resort, elimination of dangerous coyotes. I liked the fact that the plan was comprehensive and had a strong education portion. From what we have learned, we have created a safe haven for coyotes in our area. By making some changes to our habits, we can eliminate the safe haven. For example, the city staff discovered that a dumpster at a local school was being left open. The simple act of securing that dumpster eliminates a “buffet” for local coyotes.
I was concerned that the price tag associated with the plan was $65,000. However, right now our staff is already spending time and resources on coyotes. So in effect, we are already spending the money, but now we are attaching a plan and documenting the cost of the implementation. The City Council plans on closely following the costs and effectiveness of the plan.
The city is also working with surrounding cities and other government agencies. I would say this is a regional problem, but it is a problem in almost every area of the country. There is a lot of info out there, and the city staff and City Council will continue to learn about ways to deal with them.
