February 10, 2009

This Thursday

Puppy Mill Rally!

2 p.m. -- west steps of the state capitol

(this is an hour earlier than previously announced)

Bring your puppy mill survivor pooch and tell his/her story!

Whether or not you are joining us for Humane Lobby Day,

COME TO THE RALLY!

We want to gather our energy and show Colorado that we’re against puppy mills

AND

We Mean Business!

There will be a few speakers with motivating stories that will help us

Rally For The Animals!

We’re working on amendments to a bill that will add important protection for dogs and all pets that are sold in Colorado.

Upcoming RMAD eNews* will have details about legislation.

The Rally will end no later than 2:45.

This will be an upbeat, uplifting, peaceful event.

Bring pro-animal signs! Attached are some templates you can use.

Help Dogs and All Animals! They need YOU!!!

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ALSO

Take Action to Protect Coyotes – Greenwood Village Update

Dr. Nicole Rosmarino with WildEarth Guardians has been leading the fight for the protection of coyotes (and other animals, including you!) in Greenwood Village, Centennial, and beyond. A former employee of RMAD, she is utilizing a wide variety of resources to help stop senseless killings. This includes legal action and asking YOU to help.

Greenwood Village approved an ordinance on Thursday (Feb 5) which allows coyotes to be shot on sight on city land in Greenwood Village. They hired a private trapper, Jay Stewart of Animal Damage Control, to conduct the shooting. The Denver Post had a decent article on the issue (http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11649924 - article copied below), and Rocky Mountain News and TV stations have covered it as well.

Things to do:

1. If you live in or near Greenwood Village and can help monitor city parks for coyote killing (especially Marjorie Perry Park - in The Preserve - and Westlands Park) please contact Nicole Rosmarino at 505-699-7404. Going for walks in the area can save coyotes!

2. Vote in an online poll in the Denver Post article on whether GV should kill its coyotes - currently the no votes are ahead; let's build our lead:

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11649924.

3. Write a letter to the editor of the Denver Post (email: openforum@denverpost.com) or the Rocky Mountain News (email: letters@rockymountainnews.com) about this issue - limit your letter to 150 words. Key points: killing coyotes actually creates more coyotes, as more pairs will breed and they'll have larger litters; education efforts will do much more to resolve any conflicts than killing will; committing violence in the name of protecting our children is sending the wrong message - a better lesson for our children would be teaching tolerance for native wildlife and personal responsibility. *Note: Please do not question the veracity of the 14-year old boy's account of his run-in with a coyote. This will make you look very insensitive.

Centennial just finalized a plan on coyotes. It emphasizes education and hazing and has a limited lethal control provision. Centennial city staff are very earnest about education and hazing and are concerned that what Greenwood Village just approved will create an absolute mess for Centennial's honest efforts to resolve coyote conflicts.

4. Another action you can take is to contact the Greenwood Village city council and mayor and ask them to call off the hired guns. Ask them to end their contract with Jay Stewart to shoot coyotes on sight in Greenwood Village parks.

Mayor Nancy Sharpe: nsharpe@greenwoodvillage.com; phone: 303-486-5741

Councilwoman Denise Rose: drose@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4137

Councilman Jerry Presley: jpresley@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4138

Councilman David Kerber: dkerber@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4135

Councilman Jeff Roemer: jroemer@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4136

Councilwoman Bette Todd: btodd@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4134

Councilman Gary Kramer: gkramer@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4133

Councilman Gary Kleeman: gkleeman@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-918-5686

Councilman Ron Rakowsky: rrakowsky@greenwoodvillage.com, 303-804-4131

Key points to make with the council and mayor: killing coyotes actually creates more coyotes, as more pairs will breed and they'll have larger litters; education efforts will do much more to resolve any conflicts than killing will; committing violence in the name of protecting our children is sending the wrong message - a better lesson for our children would be teaching tolerance for native wildlife and personal responsibility.

**Note: Please do not question the veracity of the 14-year old boy's account of his run-in with a coyote. This will make you look very insensitive.

Thanks! Nicole

Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D.
Wildlife Program Director, WildEarth Guardians
1536 Wynkoop St., Suite 301
Denver, CO 80202
303-573-4898
nrosmarino@wildearthguardians.org
www.wildearthguardians.org

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DEMOS

Sat 2/14

North Washington St Kennels, the on-going effort!

7174 North Washington St, Denver

We will be protesting ON Valentine’s Day!!! Hopefully we can educate more potential customers. Let them know that a puppy as a present isn't such a good idea. It's supposed to be cold and a possible chance of snow, so thanks in advance for being tough for the animals! We'll be there from 12-2. Contact Jackie for info: jjravsfan@yahoo.com

Anti-Fur Fury!

Cherry Creek Mall, Denver

Every Saturday at 11:30, join the anti-fur demo. Click here for more info.

One last thing:

This email substitutes for the regularly scheduled RMAD eNews; eNews will return soon!

Therefore I want to make sure you know about the

RMAD Party

Sat 2/28, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Boulder Outlook Hotel

800 28th Street

Celebrate FIFTEEN YEARS of animal activism!

Gourmet vegan appetizers, beverages, cash bar, and cake (of course!)

$35 per person (going up to $40 after this Sunday)

We’re keeping it small; don’t delay your RSVP

Call the RMAD office with a credit card: 303-449-4422

Greenwood Village wages war on coyotes

Greenwood Village plans to shoot critters after attacks on teen, pets

By Kieran Nicholson
The Denver Post

POSTED: 02/08/2009 12:30:00 AM MST

A war against coyotes in the Denver metro area has begun with Greenwood Village firing the first shots.

Greenwood Village's City Council, in a special session Thursday, approved limited shooting of coyotes in public areas of the city, including parks, greenbelts and watersheds.

The council passed an ordinance allowing a contractor, Animal Damage Control Wildlife Management Services, to fatally shoot coyotes.

Greenwood Village police Lt. Joe Harvey said the measure is in response to complaints by residents about overly aggressive coyotes, including an attack on a teenager in December. The 14-year-old fought off the coyote and was not injured.

City officials and residents have become increasingly concerned about the growing coyote population and the danger to people and pets.

The city is turning to the contractor, owned and operated by Jay Stewart, to help protect residents, said City Manager Jim Sanderson.

"We have a public-safety issue we need to address," Sanderson said. "We want to be proactive and not reactive to a child being bitten."

The city will pay Stewart $60 per hour or $200 a day to kill coyotes. Stewart could not be reached for comment.

Greenwood Village is also asking the Tri-County Health Department for permits to allow the setting of leg traps for coyotes.

If the permit attempt is successful, the city will be able to set multiple traps over 45 days, Sanderson said.

Since Jan. 1, 2008, there have been 194 reported coyote sightings in the city, 20 reported attacks on animals and one attack against a human — on the 14-year-old boy.

"The problem is the population is out of control, and it has created a public-safety issue for our community," Sanderson said. "We are not trying to eliminate all coyotes."

Officials from several metro cities and the Colorado Division of Wildlife will meet this week to map out a comprehensive strategy dealing with coyotes.

The all-day symposium, which is not open to the public, will be held Wednesday at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

Some wildlife officials say the killing of coyotes to cut down populations is counterproductive because the animals will only breed faster in order to replace lost members.

"Coyotes are 'compensatory breeders,' that's what the research says," said Jennifer Churchill, a DOW spokeswoman. "When the population gets knocked back they will indeed create more coyotes."

DOW will destroy coyotes that have attacked humans, Churchill said, but not coyotes that attack pets.

Still, DOW officials believe cities should set their own policies when it comes to dealing with coyotes.

"We encourage communities to come up with management plans that suit them and their constituents," Churchill said.

Last month, a pair of coyotes attacked a woman in Broomfield, but her dog, a male 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, chased them off.

One of the animals was tracked and killed by the DOW, and the other was never found.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Broomfield city officials and the DOW will host a public informational meeting on coyotes at the Anthem Community Center, 3624 Parkside Center Drive.

Several communities along the Front Range are developing coyote policies, including Centennial, which borders Greenwood Village.

Centennial City Councilman Ron Weidmann was the only council member in his city to vote against a coyote ordinance package Monday night.

The Centennial ordinance doesn't call for contract killing of coyotes, but it allows for lethal means as a "last resort," Weidmann said.

Weidmann said he opposed the ordinance, in part, because it will cost the city money in a lean budget period. But even if Centennial was flush with cash, Weidmann said he would have voted against it.

"Humans have to be cognizant and learn how to live with coyotes," he said. "I am not for lethal mitigation."

Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com