Project
Goals:
- We
are seeking to answer several questions about
local coyote populations: 1) How many coyotes
are currently living on each island, 2) Are the
populations stable or growing, 3) What resources
are they using, 4) Do the coyote populations
pose a threat to human interests on the islands,
5) What are the best management strategies for
coyote populations?
- We
will improve the quality of available public
information about Rhode Island's coyotes as
well as the
quality of public outreach through valid scientific
sources. This will be accomplished with the
cooperation of the local school systems and
this Coyote web page on
The Conservation Agency's web site. The equipment
required to track the coyotes will allow us
to post the animals' location and movement
in near real time.
Through extensive cooperation with local school
systems, data created by this study will be
immediately
incorporated into the schools' lesson plans.
School children will be able, through the Internet,
to check the coyotes' movements daily and learn
about their behavior and habits.
- In the
final stage of the study we will create Management
Strategies for Coyotes on Conanicut and Aquidneck
Islands. Local
legislators and DEM will be able to use these
recommendations to make informed management decisions.
The
Conservation Agency will coordinate all scientific aspects
of
the project. An Educational Coordinator will direct
the educational components tailoring them to interested
local schools and after school programs.
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The
picture above is a snapshot of the movements of
nine Narragansett Bay Coyote Study (NBCS) coyote packs through
June 2007. Each
pack has a different color
code. The coyote location points are overlaid on RIGIS (RI Geographic
Information System) aerial orthophotos. Each one of
these location points has a time and date associated
with it. Using GIS software, students and
scientists alike can analyze how coyotes spend
their time.
The Providence Plan hosts our internet Map Server
called
the "Coyote Mapper." Data will be updated monthly.
NBCS coyotes are up and running!
It is an interactive map powered by GIS
software; you can use some of the same GIS tools
that participating classrooms do.
Zoom in on coyote location points where you live
and find out when coyotes were there... When
the viewer comes up, check the boxes on the
right and "refresh map" to see the
coyote data layers. Then you can
experiment with the tool buttons on the
left!
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Click on
COYOTE MAPPER link
below:
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| Narragansett
Bay Coyote Study Staff
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Numi
Mitchell,
Ph.D. – Lead Scientist and Project Director
(401)
423-0866 numi@theconservationagency.org
Numi
is a biologist specializing in the study of resource
and habitat use by wildlife. She usually troubleshoots endangered species
problems – this is her first project in which
management issues concern a species that is too
successful – an interesting challenge.
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Spencer
Tripp – Professional Wildlife Trapper
(503)
669-5040 spencer@theconservationagency.org
Spencer
is a professional trapper with over 50 years
experience with the behavior and habits of fur
bearers. He is the National Trappers Association
Director for the Rhode Island Trappers Association
acting as the liaison between the State and National
Agencies.
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Ralph
Pratt, D.V.M. – Project Veterinarian
(401)
397-8887 mapratt@wgah.necoxmail.com
Ralph
took his degree at Tuft’s School of Veterinary Medicine and has his own
practice, the West Greenwich Animal Hospital, which he runs with
his wife Amy Pratt, D.V.M. He started his graduate career in wildlife
ecology, moved on to veterinary medicine, and has
now come full circle as he became Chief Veterinarian
for the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study.
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Lyn
Malone - Director of Education
(401)
245-4395 lynmalone@worldviewsgis.com
Lyn
taught for many years in Barrington but now has her
own educational consulting firm, WorldViews,
specializing in GIS curriculum development and
training. She is an ESRI-certified K-12
GIS instructor and is the senior author of the
extensive ESRI textbook Mapping our World.
Since 2005, Lyn has brought her ideas,
expertise in science education, and GIS talents to
the project.
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DONATIONS
NEEDED TO SUPPORT NBCS
We
have estimated the cost for the Narragansett Bay Coyote
Study at more than $230,000
per year. Ongoing efforts have
raised more than half of this goal in donations and
in-kind support. You
can support us at any level. Following are several sponsorship
opportunities available.
Narragansett
Bay Coyote Fund
 Donate online
 Larger
grants help to underwrite costs of the overall study
including the trapping and tagging of one coyote from each
of 10 packs in 2005; collection of information such as population
density, resource use, diet; analysis of data and research
for a peer reviewed technical study of Aquidneck and
Conanicut Island coyotes; development of region-specific
management strategies.
Coyote
Collars
Donate
online
The
Conservation Agency will be using specialized
combination
GPS-radio collars, designed for our study by Habit
Research of Victoria, B.C. Each morning the
collars transmit, by radio signal, the last 200 hourly GPS
locations of the collared study coyotes. The real-world coordinates transmitted
can be used
for GIS mapping and analysis. The radio signal component
allows scientists to
directly approach the collared coyote and observe
accompanying members of the pack. The collars are
fitted with a programmable release mechanism. A year
to-the-day after collaring a catch bolt draws back and the
collar falls
off the coyote. The radio signal allows us to retrieve it,
mount a new battery, and use it again.
Name
a Coyote
Donate
online
 May
2007
Newport Vineyards names our newest male
coyote from Middletow n! Shown below right is "RHODY"
coyote and at left are the owners of Newport Vineyards, Paul and John
Nunes, along with Numi Mitchell and veterinarian Ralph Pratt, who are
making the
final adjustments to Rhody's new collar.
Clarification: Rhody has not been
drinking the Vineyard's "Rhody Coyote Hard Apple
Cider"; he is anesthetized.
If you prefer, you can mail your tax-deductible donation
to: The Narragansett
Bay Coyote Study, The Conservation Agency, Branch Office, 67 Howland
Avenue, Jamestown, RI 02835.
For more
information, please contact
Numi
Mitchell,
Lead Scientist, at 401-423-0866.
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