Field Reports: Wolves displacing coyotes
The resurgences of wolves in the Yellowstone region is causing a sharp decline in coyotes, which are being killed and scared off by their larger, more aggressive canine cousins.
Coyote numbers in Yellowstone National Park dropped by almost 40 percent since wolves were reintroduced there in the mid-1990s, according to a new study. Neighboring Grand Teton National Park coyote numbers are down 33 percent where wolves have moved in.
Both species prey on wildlife and livestock. But because wolves are so much larger — averaging more than 85 pounds, almost three times the size of the coyotes in the study — their resurgence means more attacks on larger animals such as elk or cattle.
It also means less pressure on smaller prey, such as sheep, lambs and fawns of deer and pronghorns, said study co-author Kim Murray Berger of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Berger said another study, still in the works, suggests pronghorn numbers have risen by 6 percent a year in areas where wolves are replacing coyotes.
The realignment of predator and prey in the Yellowstone area compares to the balance in place a century ago, before wolves were exterminated from much of the West, she said.
“You saw all the attention shift to coyotes,” she said, noting the creation of a federal program that now kills 70,000 to 80,000 coyotes a year for livestock protection.
“As some of the larger predators have been expanding, the attention is shifting back,” she added.
Associated Press
NATIONAL PARKS
Tree kills hiker in Colorado
Two 68-year-old hikers were simply walking along a trail in Rocky Mountain National Park last week when a long-dead Douglas fir snapped during gusty winds and fell, killing one of them, officials in Colorado said.
“Five seconds one way or the other and it would have been an interesting story and an enjoyable hike,” park spokesman Larry Frederick said.
The snag had snapped about 15 feet from the ground as winds of up to 50 mph swept through the Wild Basin area.
Associated Press
BOATING
Idaho explores fees for rafts, kayaks
Owners of non-motorized boats in Idaho could find themselves charged a registration fee like the one paid by motorized boat owners to help pay for boat ramps, restrooms and search and rescue efforts.
Currently, registration fees are required only for motorized boats of any size.
During the last legislative session, Gov. Butch Otter said boat owners who have to register their boats are being unfairly singled out to bear the state’s boat-related costs. He wants to extend the burden to drift boaters, kayakers, canoeists and rafters, including those who own inflatable rafts and kayaks.
Motorized boat registrations bring in about $1.6 million annually. Another $851,000 for boating programs comes from state and federal grants. There are 86,225 registered motor boats in the state, and officials speculate there are about 100,000 non-motorized boats.
The governor has appointed a citizen group of boaters to explore how much could be charged for non-motorized boat registration, and how much money registrations could raise.
The work group meeting held last week in Boise was not open to public.
Idaho Statesman