More cities, counties and Californians are following San Francisco’s lead and welcoming coyotes into urban and suburban spaces. Environmentalists are seizing on those newfound relationships by putting more pressure on the state to protect the species. That could have implications for ranchers protecting livestock.
The California Fish and Game Commission is considering a proposal to remove coyotes as a nongame animal, a procedure that would enable the governing body to reconsider the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s policy allowing indiscriminate take. While the commission bumped the issue back to a committee to gather more stakeholder feedback, commissioners are already signaling their support for protections.
“This is a hugely important issue,” said Commission President Erika Zavaleta, during a hearing last week. “Human-wildlife conflicts have been a priority in California for a long time and they're growing.”
Zavaleta said it has been a priority issue for more than two years, as the commission questions the current control efforts. She raised concerns over the effectiveness of those measures and if they align with the agency’s mission to protect wildlife.
Environmentalists and wildlife conservation groups, which have long pushed for state and federal protections, were disappointed with the commission delaying a decision.
Commissioner Erika ZavaletaBrendan Cummings, conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity, described the proposal as a modest step that would bring informed management planning for the species, recognizing the unique challenges “in our crowded and very complicated state.” He argued it is no longer tenable to avoid managing any species in California in the 21st century.
“I have no doubt that the contents of any rule making will be controversial and highly contested and drawn out,” said Cummings. “But that's not a reason to continue an unacceptable status quo.”
Other advocates defended coyotes as sentient beings with complex social structures that should not be treated as “disposable nuisances.”
Last year the advocacy group Project Coyote partnered with public policy researchers at Colorado State University on a survey that found 80% of respondents nationwide supported restrictions on the “unlimited killing of wild carnivores.” Camilla Fox, founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization, pushed the commission to adopt nonlethal strategies to address conflicts.
“Current regulations allow coyotes to be killed indiscriminately year-round, including during the pup rearing season, resulting in orphan pups left to starve, an outcome that is both inhumane and unnecessary,” said Fox.
Ranchers, however, have struggled to shoulder the costs for nonlethal deterrents to keep the state’s growing wolf population at bay. Last year CDFW rapidly ran through a $3 million account to support deterrents and compensate ranchers for losses and the industry has lobbied the Legislature to revive the funding.
Agricultural groups applauded the commission’s decision to delay the action and buy more time for discussing the depredation concerns. Hunters shared that sentiment, though the commission stopped short of banning hunting contests, a longtime policy priority for wildlife groups.
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In a letter to the commission, Kirk Wilbur, vice president of the California Cattlemen’s Association, claimed the move to enact a new regulation “risks significant harm to California’s livestock producers.” Wilbur explained that coyotes disrupt calving patterns and kill calves, requiring ranchers to put down problem coyotes while proactively managing populations to prevent further harm.
Opponents also warned that coyotes are growing less wary of humans, increasingly attacking people and pets, and that they are vectors for disease. The lack of accurate data on coyote populations was also a concern.
Modoc County Supervisor Ned Coe defended the ranchers in his district, saying they are “already suffering from an onslaught of predator problems they can do little about,” such as attacks from bears, mountain lions and wolves.
“Due to the large landscape of ranches, coyote predation takes place beyond the ability of producers to catch predators in the act,” said Coe. “Federal grazing allotments can be tens of thousands of acres in size.”
He argued no evidence supports the need for a policy change and said the push comes from “an emotional attempt at regulatory change, to the detriment of those making a living and recreating in the natural environment.”
State lawmakers have weighed in against the proposal as well. Assemblymember Heather Hadwick, R-Alturas, and Senator Megan Dahle, R-Bieber, echoed the concerns of their rural constituents that the commission had elevated the proposal without adequate public feedback. They argued the resulting economic hardship to agricultural producers from a potential regulation would contribute to higher food prices.
“The decision to push forward with this change without consulting those directly impacted was irresponsible,” said Hadwick in a statement. “I’m pleased that the issue has been referred back to committee, where it can receive the full, transparent review that our farmers, ranchers and rural communities deserve.”
The commission’s wildlife committee will take up the conversation later this year.
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