Cornell Coop to host coyote auction, dinner

KANONA - Come enjoy dinner, an educational program and the fun of bidding on local gifts and services at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County's Coyotes Around the Corner annual auction and dinner program to be held Monday, February 5, 2007 at Jackie's Tally-Ho Restaurant in Kanona.

"For the fourth time this month, we saw a coyote in my neighbor's field across the road. Somehow, many people have developed a fear of coyotes without ever seeing one," says one resident. What does

the increase in coyote sightings mean to us living in Steuben County?

A coyote resembles a small German Shepard with a thick coat. The average adult coyote weights 35-45 pounds, and they are extremely difficult to capture. Once considered an animal of the western and plains states, coyotes have expanded their range and made our home their home. Recent new articles cite reports of coyotes moving into upstate neighborhoods and even into New York City. This trend has created anxiety and spurred debate over

real or perceived threats to livestock, pets and children.

The local interest in coyotes ties in with a current multi-year study between Cornell University and the D e p a r t m e n t o f Environmental Conservation to investigate coyote populations moving into the suburbs and creating interactions with humans. People have developed a fear of coyotes, and Coyotes Around the Corner is intended is to dispel rumors and misinformation with facts. As coyotes learn and adapt to people, people must learn and adapt

to coyotes.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Paul Curtis, coordinator of the Wildlife Damage Management Program for Cooperative Extension statewide during the past 15 years, and a co-principal investigator for the Cornell study. Specializing in coyote behavioral ecology, he will share some dramatic photographs of human/coyote interactions and statistics on occurrences across New York State. It will be a lively and interactive program for both young and old.