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Show Coyote Has Two Sides Coyotes unlimited control, no control, or somewhere between those are the alternatives the Secretary of Interior must choose from as he determines the future status of programs affecting this Illusive creature says Gar Workman, extension wildlife specialist, Utah State University and biological chairman, Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. He noted that people throughout the state hold many views on this issue. A number of local farmers and ranchers who continue to suffer crippling losses of young livestock from coyotes and other predators may understandably take one extreme position. Other people, such as the defenders of Wildlife and similar groups who fear that coyotes are endangered in the state and are afraid that all wild creatures are being destroyed, rise to the other extreme position. Workman said, "As a biologist, I try to be as objective as I can. I enjoy being out of doors among the wild animals and I don't want to see them all killed off. At the same time, I must recognize that the sheepman who suffer a six percent loss of lambs only about break even. They don't make profit that enables them to stay in business. Some are experiencing lamb losses to predators of 20-30 percent. "A report by the Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledges that in order to have the sheep industry there must be an effective predator control program. Significant input to the report was made from studies varifying carnivore depredations to sheep and other animals conducted by James E. Bowns, associate professor of wildlife with USU and Southern Utah State College at Cedar City. The, report now, being reviewed by the Secretary of Interior is titled 'Predator Damage in the West: A Study of Coyote Management Alternatives.' " The extension wildlife specialist cited two reasons for preserving the sheep industry in Utah as seen from his point of view: (1) It's important to have that food resource; (2) the sheep provide a good management tool for deer range. He said, "Bitter brush, an Important food for deer, can't compete with grass. We need sheep up there taking the grass off at select times using the know how we have to take the proper amount of forage off the mountain without subjecting the land to erosion. That would give us more deer food and the sheep would provide a needed food resource." For those reasons, he pointed out, many people favor effective economical control for coyotes. They are hoping that the Secretary of Interior will be sympathetic to use of a combination of poisons, traps and aircraft. Workman contends that the coyote as a species would not be endangered by these control measures. It has proven its survival ability in such situtions. Also, he maintains that the claimed hazards to the environment of 1080 poison used before it was banned were blown all out of proportion. As a biologist he points out that it is very selective to carnivores such as the coyote. He said, "Many of us are hoping that the Secretary will allow properly supervised use of some selective control agents such as 1080. We recognize that it must be used by trained people who know what they are doing, who keep track of where they are putting the baits, and don't indiscriminately scatter them." He added, "Aircraft can be quite effective but only when there is a snow cover. However, it can be very expensive. The Fish and Wildlife Service could do the necessary control job a lot cheaper and more efficiently if they could put the money into baits and spend less on flying," |