SGV Connect 62: Coyotes!

For anyone who lives in the SGV, and frankly throughout Los Angeles County, coyotes are a regular reality. Whether hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains or walking down Valley Boulevard, hearing a coyote's yelp or spotting its thin frame crossing a street is common. But how we should interact with these wildlife neighbors isn't always clear. On part two of this week's SGV Connect, we spoke with Natalya Romo, the program manager of the Neighborhood Coyote Program, and Alexander Fung, a management analyst with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, about how this program is engaging and educating residents to become better stewards to the coyote population. The program has been sharing with residents information about how they should act when coming across a coyote, how to report a sighting, and how residents can deter coyotes in a nonlethal way from making themselves at home in a neighborhood --- leaving pet food and water out would be a no-no. People can find this info on the SGV COG website or by calling their hotline at (626)278-8039. Residents who also want to report a coyote sighting can call the number; calls are documented and reported to the University of California Cooperative Extension's Coyote Cacher program. The Coyote program is a pilot of 10 SGV cities which include: City of Arcadia City of Alhambra City of Azusa City of Covina City of Irwindale City of Montebello City of Rosemead City of San Gabriel City of San Marino City of Temple City Residents outside of these cities can call and will be referred to their local animal control agency or their respective government agency. Neighborhood Coyote Program Hotline: (626)278-8039, 8:00 a.m.-6:00p.m., Monday-Thursday SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. "Foothill Transit. Going Good Places." Catch past episodes of SGV Connect and #DamienTalks on LibSyn, iTunes, Google Play, or Overcast.