CC SR 20191203 01 - Coyote Management Plan Status ReportRANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 12/03/2019
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action to receive and file the third quarterly status report on
the implementation of the City’s Coyote Management Plan
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file the third quarterly status report on the implementation of the
City’s Coyote Management Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Rudy Monroy, Code Enforcement Officer RM
REVIEWED BY: Kit Fox, AICP, Interim Deputy Director of Community Development
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, Interim City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. 2019 Coyote Activity Map and Data (Page A-1)
B. Coyote Sighting Quarterly Report Chart (Page B-1)
To view the City’s Coyote Management Plan, “Keep Me Wild” brochure, and Home &
Yard Checklist for Wildlife on the City’s website, please visit
http://www.rpvca.gov/1113/Coyote-Management-Plan
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
The 2019 City Council Goals (Quality of Life) include Goal No. 30 requiring Staff to
provide a quarterly status report with data on the implementation and effectiveness of
the City’s Coyote Management Plan. The first quarterly report (January-May 20) was
provided to the City Council at its June 4 meeting, which can be viewed on the City’s
website at the following link:
http://rpv.granicus.com/player/clip/3433?view_id=5
The second quarterly report was presented to the City Council on September 3, 2019
and covered the period between May 21 - August 23, 2019, and can be viewed on the
City’s website. Tonight’s third quarterly report is intended to describe and compare the
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implementation of the City’s Coyote Management Plan since the second quarterly
status report and covers the period between August 24- November 24, 2019.
Coyote Management Plan
The Peninsula cities agree that education is a key component in coyote management.
The City’s Coyote Management Plan is consistent with those in the cities of Rolling Hills
Estates and Palos Verdes Estates, and is also based on input received from the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), which administers the Coyote
Wildlife Watch Program. The goal of the Management Plan is to encourage and
“support coexistence with urban coyotes using education, behavior modification and
development of a tiered response to aggressive coyote behavior.” The tiered response
requires active participation on the part of the entire community including residents,
homeowners’ associations, volunteers and City personnel. The Management Plan is
based on research and best known practices, and includes a full spectrum of
management tools. Basic principles that guide the Management Plan include following:
Don’t leave pet food outside.
Don’t leave small pets or children outside unattended.
If you compost, use enclosed bins and never compost meat or fish scraps.
Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
Make sure your fences are 6 feet high with no gaps at ground level – coyotes are
good diggers.
Put bird feeders away at night to avoid attracting rodents and other coyote prey.
Remove fallen fruit from the ground.
Remove sources of water.
Talk to your neighbors to make sure they’re following the same procedures.
Trim ground-level shrubbery to reduce hiding places.
The Management Plan (and Staff, in its public outreach) recommends hazing as
another deterrent method to move a coyote out of an area or discourage undesirable
behavior or activity. Coyotes develop these behaviors because they have become too
comfortable living in close proximity to people. Hazing, also known as “fear
conditioning,” is an action that facilitates changes in coyote behavior, and is effective
when a community responds consistently to negative encounters with coyotes. The
more often an individual animal is hazed, the more effective hazing is in changing that
animal’s behavior. To safely coexist, it’s important to modify this behavior and attitude in
resident-coyote populations. Habituated coyote behavior needs to be reshaped to deter
coyotes from coming in contact with humans and pets.
Hazing should be conducted in a manner that coaxes and steers the coyote to return to
its natural habitat (i.e., canyons and open space areas). Hazing an animal toward other
houses and busy streets should be avoided. A variety of tools should be used in hazing
as coyotes can easily become acclimated to individual items and sounds:
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Noisemakers: raised voice, whistles, air horns, bells, “shaker” cans, pots, pie
pans.
Projectiles: sticks, small rocks, cans, tennis balls, rubber balls.
Deterrents: hoses, spray bottles with vinegar, pepper spray, bear repellant,
walking sticks.
A common concern with hazing involves potential danger to the hazer. A coyote’s basic
nature is very skittish and the nature of the species is what makes this technique
successful. A normal, healthy coyote will not escalate a situation with an aggressive
person. Hazing is NOT successful with every species of wild animal because different
types of animals have different traits.
The Management Plan describes the following City-level tiered response to specific
coyote actions or behaviors.
Level 1 (coyotes are either heard or seen) - The City’s response to the sighting is
to provide informational material to educate the resident on typical coyote
behavior.
Level 2 (coyote encounters a person or pet) – The City’s response to the
encounter is to conduct yard audits to identify ways to deter coyote entry and to
improve pet management.
Level 3 (coyote enters yard or pet is injured or killed) – The City’s response to the
incident is to gather information and report it to the appropriate agencies, conduct
a yard audit, develop a hazing team for the neighborhood, and implement the
Wildlife Watch program.
Level 4 (coyote shows teeth, back fur is raised, lunges towards a person, bites or
injures a person) – The City’s response to the characteristics of an aggressive
coyote is to initiate a trapping assessment and to coordinate with the Los
Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and
Measures (as described further below). Biting is reported to CDFW.
Coyote-Related Community Services
The Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and
Measures (Agricultural Commissioner) has a contract with the City for coyote-related
community services. However, when residents have concerns about coyote, they are
asked to call the Code Enforcement Division first. Code Enforcement Staff will assess
the situation and determine if the problem is one that can be handled by the use of
preventative measures, or if the situation needs to be escalated to the Agricultural
Commissioner for further review. Many times, informing residents about what they can
do to secure their yard to deter coyotes is all that is needed. However, in some
instances, Staff may determine that a visit from the Agricultural Commissioner is
warranted. In those cases, City Staff and an Agricultural Commissioner officer will
conduct a yard audit to assess what can be done to deter coyote activity.
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Yard Audits
Yard audits involve working closely with numerous residents in a neighborhood by
coordinating informative and educational outreach to identify potential coyote attractants
such as fallen fruit, overgrown brush, inadequate fencing, and coyote scat. As part of
the yard audit, residents are provided with the City’s Coyote Management Plan, “Keep
Me Wild” brochure, and Home & Yard Checklist for Wildlife (see link under “Attached
Supporting Documents”). In some cases, through yard audits the Agricultural
Commissioner has identified signs of aggressive coyote behavior and has set up traps.
Since the last quarterly update on September 3, 2019, the City’s Code Enforcement
Officers, sometimes in collaboration with the Agricultural Commissioner, have
conducted 15 yard audits on the following streets and locations:
Via Siena – Two properties
Via Siena Loop Trail
Via Frascati – Three properties
Headland Drive – Four properties
Crownview Drive – Two properties
Roan Road – One property
Palos Verdes Drive East – One property
Via Campesina- One property
Coyote Trapping
The Agricultural Commissioner provides trapping services only when it has been
determined by the City that an “aggressive” coyote exists. As it is well known that
trapping and the resulting euthanization of a coyote is not as effective as other methods
of hazing contact, the City determines, based on field observations and assessing the
incident, if a case needs to be brought to the county’s attention or additional education
instruction is needed. If the county is contacted because the City feels that a coyote
may be “aggressive” and cause concern for the public’s safety, the county will still
conduct its own assessment to determine if trapping should occur. To date, six traps
have been set up for 2019 quarterly reports.
If residents are concerned about coyotes in their area, the City recommends following
the guidelines in the Management Plan in order to help shape coyote behavior to avoid
human contact. Residents may contact the City’s Code Enforcement Division if they
have any questions or wish to report an aggressive coyote. As previously noted, the
City’s Code Enforcement Division is trained to conduct property assessments to assist
property owners in minimizing coyote attractants.
Under state law, coyotes are considered “non-game wildlife,” therefore any residents
can initiate action, at their own expense, to protect themselves and their property from
coyote attacks, including trapping. A private trapper must be certified and licensed by
the State of California. However, no private individual is authorized to discharge a
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firearm within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes pursuant to Rancho Palos Verdes
Municipal Code Section 9.08.010:
Except as otherwise provided in [Chapter 9.08], it shall be unlawful within
the boundaries of the city for any person to fire, discharge, shoot or
operate or to assist or participate in firing, discharging, shooting or
operating any gun, revolver, pistol, firearm, spring gun, air gun, sling,
slingshot or device designed or intended to discharge or capable of
discharging any dangerous missile or any cartridge, shell, ammunition or
device containing any explosive substance designed or intended to be
used in or fired from any gun, revolver, pistol or firearm.
Public Outreach
In addition to conducting yard audits, the City’s Code Enforcement Officers have been
both proactive and reactive in canvassing City neighborhoods to raise awareness about
deterrent measures to keep coyotes out of neighborhoods and adjoining canyon areas.
They spend an average of 15 hours a week meeting with residents in response to calls
and posting on the City’s website to raise public awareness, including yard audits. On
September 25, 2019, the City also held a neighborhood meeting held in the Headland
Drive neighborhood with residents from the Sunnyside Ridge community. This and other
neighborhood meetings held throughout the year have led to additional yard audits.
Staff has found that residents are frequently unaware of the information and programs
that the City has available to them, which is a sign that more outreach is needed and
will continue during the next reporting period.
Participation in the Wildlife Watch Program
Wildlife Watch is a CDFW -administered program that is similar to a Neighborhood
Watch program in that it enlists the participation of citizens to bring neighbors together ,
and helps train them to recognize and distinguish wildlife sightings, wildlife threats to
public safety, and natural versus unnatural wildlife behavior, with an emphasis on
coyotes. It also helps with the implementation of basic wildlife conflict prevention
techniques, such as hazing. This program requires the participation of an entire
neighborhood to keep coyotes out. During this 3rd quarter reporting period, Staff has
coordinated with block captains in the following neighborhoods:
Sunnyside Ridge
Miraleste
In collaboration with block captains, Staff has been able to establish a single point-of-
contact to address coyote related issues and to serve as the conduit between Staff and
the neighborhood. Overall, the Wildlife Watch program continues to be an extremely
beneficial tool for residents to deter coyote activity. Staff will continue to encourage
additional neighborhoods to participate in this program.
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Coyote Sighting Application and Dashboard
Last year, the City’s Information Technology Staff launched a web-based coyote
sighting application that the public can access from both mobile and desktop devices
(http://cityofrpv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/GeoForm/index.html?appid=819077a4e67f4e5db
c0c79a3d4004760). The application benefits all the Peninsula cities, and although its
development was led by the City’s Staff, it was a collaborative effort with the cities of
Rolling Hills Estates and Palos Verdes Estates, whose residents and Staff utilize this
application as well.
The application provides information on coyote population and sighting trends.
Residents report a coyote sighting and describe the coyote’s behavior or incident. The
reported information is documented and forwarded to City Staff. Additionally, a map of
the Peninsula on the website identifies the location of the reported coyote and its
activity.
In January 2019, the map was “refreshed” for the 2019 reporting period. As part of the
last quarterly report on September 3, 2019, a total of 50 coyote sightings had been
logged by app users. Attached to tonight’s report is the 3rd quarter 2019 data and
corresponding map for Rancho Palos Verdes (Attachment A), including a Coyote
Sighting Quarterly Report Chart (Attachment B).The data shows a total of 171 coyote
sightings had been logged in by app users, representing an increase of 121 reports
during the current reporting period (August 24-November 24, 2019) as compared to the
previous reporting period (May 21-August 23, 2019). This may be attributed to a
combination of reasons including, among other things, increased public use of the app
and/or increased coyote activity in the City.
To improve the public’s ability to review the data collected via the coyote sighting app,
the City’s Information Technology Staff have also created a dashboard to view real-time
coyote sighting information. The data on the dashboard is displayed using charts,
widgets, maps and other visual elements. The dashboard can be viewed on the City’s
website at https://www.rpvca.gov/CoyoteSightingDashboard.
Wildlife Camera Network
Staff is researching implementing a new wildlife camera program as an added tool to
the Coyote Management Plan tool chest. In doing so, Staff is exploring purchasing
Wildlife Watch cameras also called “critter cams,” to monitor coyote activity in specified
hotspots throughout open space areas and private properties when conducting yard
audits. The “critter cam” would allow Staff to monitor coyote movement, behaviors, and
composition of alleged coyote packs based on sightings that have been identified to
pose a potential threat. The data collected could be used to identify aggressive coyotes
and to assist in determining whether future trapping is warranted. Staff will update the
Council if and when it decides to implement this program.
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CONCLUSION:
With the City’s semi-rural topography, coyote sightings are not uncommon. Informing
residents about typical coyote behavior and what can be done to deter coyotes from
entering yards and neighborhoods is an important step in coyote management.
Residents are encouraged to report coyote sightings and incidents using the City’s
tracking applications, and to report aggressive coyote behavior to the City’s Code
Enforcement Division for further investigation. Code Enforcement Staff will continue to
take reactive and proactive steps to foster the coexistence of coyotes with the City’s
residents, businesses and visitors.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative action is available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Direct Staff to develop additional measures to address the City’s coyote
issues for the City Council’s future consideration, such as the wildlife
camera network described above.
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Produced by City of Rancho Palos Verdes GIS | August 2019
±Coyote Sightings in Rancho Palos Verdes May 21, 2019 - August 23, 2019
0 0.75 1.50.375 Miles
Coyote Activity
!(Coyote seen moving or resting in the area (24)
!(Coyote following or approaching a person (1)
!(Coyote entered a yard without pets (5)
!(Coyote entered a yard with pets (8)
!(Coyote entered a yard and injured a pet (0)
!(Coyote entered a yard and killed a pet (3)
!(Coyote biting or injuring a pet on leash (0)
!(Coyote showing aggressive behavior (i.e. showing teeth, lunging, nipping without contact) (0)
!(Coyote biting or injuring a person (0)
!(Other (9)Rancho Palos Verdes
Total Sightings Reported: 50
A-1
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Produced by City of Rancho Palos Verdes GIS | November 2019
±Coyote Sightings in Rancho Palos Verdes August 24, 2019 - November 24, 2019
0 0.75 1.50.375 Miles
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Coyote Activity
!(Coyote seen moving or resting in the area (71)
!(Coyote following or approaching a person (17)
!(Coyote entered a yard without pets (29)
!(Coyote entered a yard with pets (13)
!(Coyote entered a yard and injured a pet (1)
!(Coyote entered a yard and killed a pet (6)
!(Coyote showing aggressive behavior (i.e. showing teeth, lunging, nipping without contact) (2)
!(Other (32)Rancho Palos Verdes
Total Sightings Reported: 171
A-2
Coyote Sighting Quarterly Report Chart
Third Quarter
Categories Second Quarter May 21 - August
23
Third Quarter August
24- November 24
Difference
Coyote Seen/Moving/Resting 24 71 47
Coyote Following or
Approaching
1 17 16
Coyote Entered w/out Pets 5 29 24
Coyote Entered with Pets 8 13 5
Coyote Entered Yard &
Injured a Pet
0 1 1
Coyote Entered Yard & Killed
Pet
3 6 3
Coyote Bite Pet on Leash 0 0 0
Coyote Showing Aggressive
Behavior
0 2 2
Coyote Biting or Injuring a
Person
0 0 0
Other 9 32 23
Total Sightings Reports 50 171 121
B-1