Geneva’s Coyote Management Plan Could Be Model for Suburbs

kanecountyconnects / March 16, 2015 / Comments Off / Animal Care and Control, Nature

The city of Geneva presented a coyote management plan Monday night that could serve as a model for suburban communities throughout Kane County.

The management plan outlines in great detail a program for monitoring coyote sightings, observing and reporting coyote behavior, educating the public on coexisting with coyotes and determining what action to take in the rare case of a coyote showing aggressive behavior toward a human or biting a human.

You can see a draft of the plan here on the city of Geneva agenda packet for the Monday night City Council meeting.

The management plan’s recommended responses are taken from the Humane Coyote Conflict Classification and Recommended Responses Guide by the Human Society of the United States.

Geneva residents wanting to learn how to live with coyotes in our area can attend a community workshop at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 30, at the City’s Public Works Department, 1800 South St.

Lynsey White Dasher, director of Humane Wildlife Conflict Resolution for the Humane Society of the United States, will be presenting and answering questions at the workshop. Topics will include coyote behavior, the latest research on urban coyotes, solutions for coyote conflicts, hazing techniques and how to make a back yard and neighborhood unappealing to these animals.

The city also hopes to distribute information regarding its new coyote management plan, which still is pending City Council approval, at the workshop. The management plan is intended to serve as a tool to increase residents’ knowledge and understanding of how coyotes behave and to provide guidelines to live compatibly with these wild animals. After City Council discussed the management plan Monday, March 16, and the document will be available on the city’s website.

The free workshop is open to the public, but seating is limited. People can reserve their spot online. The workshop also will be recorded, and the video will be posted afterward on the city’s website and YouTube Channel.

Dasher will be providing coyote training sessions to select city staff members during her visit to Geneva.

In addition to the management plan and community workshop, the city continues its ongoing coyote education efforts by posting informational materials and videos to its website.