Mendocino County’s Predator Control program is under scrutiny, after a group of Wildlife Advocacy Groups sued them for failing to study the ecological impacts of their contract with Wildlife Services, a federal agency that kills predators and other wildlife ostensibly to protect livestock. The Plaintiffs, led by the northern California's Project Coyote, argue that the current practice of killing these animals has devastating environmental effects, and that nonlethal methods of predator control are more effective and humane.
In 2016 the county settled with Project Coyote and the other Wildlife Groups, agreeing to produce an Environmental Impact Report to analyze the effects of Wildlife Services practices. Their draft EIR was released on June 13th of this year.
You can read the DEIR here:
https://www.mendocinocounty.org/home/showdocument?id=28742
Camilla Fox is the executive director of Project Coyote. She says the county's Draft Environmental Impact Report includes some troubling findings about Wildlife Services lethal methods on predators like Mountain Lions and Bears.
Bob Crabtree is the Chief Scientist and founder of Yellowstone Ecological Research Center, and studies predator/prey systems. He is on the Science Advisory Board of Project Coyote. He says research shows that killing carnivores like Coyotes and Wolves can actually make the problem of livestock predation worse in the long run.
Camilla Fox is hopeful that Mendocino County can become a leader in adopting non lethal methods of predator control detailed in the County’s Draft EIR. The public will have a chance to weigh in on the predator program before the Supervisors final vote.
Read more from Project Coyote here:
http://www.projectcoyote.org/act-now-to-end-lethal-control-of-wildlife-in-mendocino-county/