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Camera traps are designed to take photos each time a warm-blooded, moving animal passes within 20-40 feet of it. The camera trap is attached to a tree, and a chemical lure is placed within 15-feet from the camera. A coyote comes to investigate the scent, thereby triggering the camera. |
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Wildlife Paparazzi: Trapping the
Eastern Coyote on Celluloid
With a current of population of 20,000 - 30,000, it appears that coyotes have discovered what humans have long known: New York is a wonderful place to live. Along with a growing human population, New York boasts a burgeoning number of coyotes, which greatly increases the potential for conflicts between humans and coyotes.
Dr. Susan Elbin, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the New York Bioscape Initiative, seeks to gain a better understanding of coyote abundance and citizen attitudes toward these mysterious animals through the "Coyotes of the Hudson Highlands" project. Initiated in 2002 and funded by the Bay and Pauls Foundation, the "Coyotes of the Hudson Highlands" project uses camera traps to record coyote occurrences in locations throughout Phillipstown, in the Hudson River Highlands of New York.
In this WT online interview, Dr. Susan Elbin discusses coyotes, camera traps, human-wildlife conflicts, and the benefits of talking with area residents, one-on-one.
What is the focus of this study?
Coyote populations are increasing in the New York region, and the potential for coyote human conflicts is increasing along with it. Now more than ever, it is imperative to locate areas where these conflicts may occur. This project uses camera traps to quantify the occurrence of coyotes in the Hudson Highlands of New York, and correlate their presence to particular habitats or land-use features.
Land use features can include neighborhoods, farms and garbage dumps. Essentially the project strives to locate where coyotes live and roam within this region. From this information, we will build a model to help predict where in the landscape we will find coyotes in the future. These sites will be considered areas of likely human-coyote conflict or interaction, and will be the targets of a future educational campaign to engage local citizens to learn more about coyotes.
Why choose coyotes as your research species?
Besides being beautiful, coyotes are an ideal research species because, as they are top-level carnivores, they play an essential role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Coyotes prey on rodents, keeping populations balanced. By preying on small mammals, it is thought that they play a role in decreasing the incidences of humans picking up certain animal-borne diseases, of which Lyme disease is a good example.
Coyotes seem dangerous. Maybe it's best that they are not living near humans?
Coyotes have a bad, but unfounded, reputation - there have only been two documented incidences of a coyote biting a human east of the Mississippi River over the past ten years. There have been more 500 dog bites reported over the same time, in same region. Granted that in the New York region, there have been reports of coyotes preying on housepets, but a goal of this project is to educate homeowners living near coyote-rich areas, on ways to prevent such tragedies. One solution is to not allow a pet outside at night, unaccompanied by a human companion. There are simple solutions available to prevent conflicts between humans and coyotes. We just need to know where to apply these solutions.
How did you choose Phillipstown for your project location? Where are you placing the cameras, and how were these locations chosen?
Phillipstown is in the heart of the Hudson Highlands, making it the ideal model site for this project. It also has an increasing coyote population, and a diversity of natural and human use areas.
We chose an area where coyote sightings have been reported, and used a stratified random design, meaning that the latitude and longitude coordinates were selected at random in each land-use type, including on the perimeter of a forest, in a swamp, a garbage dump, residential neighborhood and along a roadside. This will provide a broad knowledge of where coyotes frequent.
How are you involving the community in this project?
Many of these points are located on private property and we contacted area residents to see if they would allow us to put up cameras. Most were very receptive as they have a natural curiosity about coyotes. And, because coyotes are increasing, people's concerns are increasing along with them. These landowners are interested in learning more about the types of wildlife that frequent their property; we send these individuals a set of prints from the camera placed on their land. Since I initiated this project, I find that people are truly interested in discussing coyotes: some have fascination about these animals while others have real fears. Talking to people, one-on-one, is the best way to educate them about coyotes living in the Hudson Valley.
Can you explain how a camera trap works?
These commercially available units are designed to take photos each time a warm-blooded, moving animal passes within 20-40 feet of it. We attach the traps to trees, and place a chemical lure 15-feet from the camera. A coyote comes to investigate the scent, thereby triggering the camera. The lure mimics the scent of a coyote, a pungent, musky scent, so when setting up the trap, one must be very careful not to spill any on your clothing. I am speaking from personal experience!
The cameras are left in place for at least three weeks, and so far we've captured coyotes pictures on three of the 12 we have set. On the film, you also capture pictures of deer, opossums, raccoons, house cats, deer, dogs, skunks, raccoons… and more deer.
What can be learned about coyote populations and behavior from a few photographs?
From the traps that produce no coyote photographs, we assume that coyotes do not frequent these areas. The areas where coyotes are recorded are added to a GIS (Geographic Information System) we use to characterize the site. We are assuming that coyote will be more prevalent in the valleys by the bigger parcels of land; therefore a house by the woods is likely to have more coyotes than a house in a built-up neighborhood.
Through this project, we are gaining knowledge of coyote behavior as well their habitat preferences. For example, this study is teaching us when coyotes are most active, because the photographs are time-stamped. Most coyotes are sighted are night, but interestingly, we have one or two prints from the middle of the afternoon.
How does this project fit into the New York Bioscape Initiative (NYBI) program, which you direct?
This is one project of the New York Bioscape Initiative, a collaborative effort of scientists, resource managers, and health professionals from 15 organizations who are working together to understand how the health of wild species, ecosystems and humans can be ensured in the context of urban growth and regional development within a 100-mile radius of New York City. It is our intent to strengthen regional planning by offering a people-oriented approach that unites nature protection, health, sustainability and sense of place.
Because of the high human population in this region of the NYBI - 8% of the United States population - our team addresses three primary conservation issues: ecotoxins, invasive and overabundant species, and human-wildlife conflict. The coyote project falls into the latter category.
What's next?
This camera trapping will continue for another year, and we will begin working with other groups who are using different methods in the area. Once the photographic data are assembled, we will conduct an attitudes study for the people within Phillipstown, essentially a survey investigating residents' moral sensibilities about coyotes.
Ultimately this study seeks ways for coyotes and humans to coexist. This project will improve our understanding of coyote behavior, ecology, health and human interaction in the Hudson Highlands, New York, and will educate area communities about sharing their landscape with coyotes.
In the end, the success of the project will be measured by how well we minimize human-coyote conflict, and protect the essential ecological role that this top predator provides. It's a tall order and a long process, but a necessary one.