Is a Raleigh coyote growing too accustomed to humans?

These photographs taken of a coyote here in Raleigh arrived in my inbox on Monday. They were taken recently near Umstead State Park by a woman with a wildlife background who has worked as a national park ranger. She was walking her dog at dusk, camera in tow, when she spotted the coyote ahead of them. They ran to catch up with the animal, and when it paused for a moment she managed to capture these shots:

The photographer, who does not wish to be identified, says she's been seeing what she believes is the same animal for years, though at first she mistook it for a fox. She writes:

Last spring, we startled it in brush, then it came out into open 15' feet from us (me and dog), just stood there and stared us down. (You aren't supposed to stare at wild dogs/coyotes etc btw--it's a sign of aggression.) At first I was afraid it was rabid, but then decided it was too rational and actions too stable. So we moved forward. It stayed 15-20' from us, then moved in a playful way, like it was trying to get my dog to play. It even laid down, the way cats do when they want something to play. I knew fox did that sort of thing but didn't know about coyotes did. Finally, we turned away--something you aren't supposed to do--and it followed us. Right out into the open. I didn't know if it wanted to play or mate with dog--or have him for dinner. I tried making noise, talking to it etc; it kept distance but wouldn't scare off. While I could see it had the markings of a coyote, I convinced myself it was a lonely stray dog or a coyote-hybrid because of its behavior.

Last evening, while walking her dog in the same area, the photographer was approached by another woman walking a small dog who wanted to warn her about the "coyote or wild dog" that she said had chased them. The second woman said the animal had barked and refused to back off -- even when she threw rocks at it. She was terrified.

After writing about my own sighting of a shy coyote in Umstead some years ago, I have heard from readers about other encounters in and around the park. One person reported being followed by a coyote while jogging along a trail, another commenter took this gorgeous photo of a coyote crossing a stream in the park, and another spotted a coyote while canoeing through the area.

The photographer who I heard from this week now finds herself in a quandary: On the one hand, she's worried that this particular animal has lost its fear of humans and could possibly attack someone (or someone's dog). But on the other hand, she's also worried that making a big fuss over the sightings could result in a war being declared on all coyotes in the area -- even those who are minding their own business, not to mention filling a critical role in our ecosystem.

In an effort to live peacefully with the coyotes in our midst, here are some common-sense tips on preventing conflicts from the Department of Environmental Conservation in New York, where the Eastern coyote is well-established:

* Do not feed coyotes.
* If you see a coyote, be aggressive in your behavior -- make loud noises, wave your arms, throw sticks and stones.
* Do not allow pets to run free.
* Do not feed pets outside.
* Make any garbage inaccessible to coyotes and other animals.
* Eliminate availability of bird seed. Coyotes are attracted to the concentration of birds and rodents that come to feeders. If you do feed birds, clean up waste seed and spillage.
* Fencing your yard may deter coyotes. The fence should be tight to the ground, preferably extending six inches below ground level.
* Remove brush and tall grass from around your property to reduce protective cover for coyotes.
* Teach children to appreciate coyotes from a distance.
* Regulated hunting and trapping increases the "fear" coyotes have towards people.
* Ask your neighbors to follow these same steps.

And keep in mind that running away from a coyote is behaving like prey. That can be very dangerous.

Upper Neuse Riverkeeper resigns

Dean Naujoks has stepped down from his job as Upper Neuse Riverkeeper with the Neuse River Foundation. He held the position for the past seven years, serving as an outspoken and effective advocate for the river. He was also the force behind the founding of Muddy Water Watch, a statewide initiative that's involving citizens in monitoring sediment pollution.

But as Naujoks noted in his resignation letter, big challenges remain for the Neuse and other North Carolina waterways:

The Neuse River Basin is one of the fastest growing river basins in the nation. Increasing population growth combined with poor land use practices will continue to degrade our water resources. Local governments need to implement strong stormwater programs and strictly enforce sedimentation pollution control laws to control runoff from construction activity.

As we have seen with recent droughts, our drinking water supplies will continue to be strained due to global climate change and unsustainable development practices that fail to link projected population growth to available water supplies. We need local governments to understand there are limits to growth and avoid short-sighted solutions like inter-basin water transfers or restricting flows to the river and downstream communities. Many of the solutions to deal with these problems already exist, but we need our elected officials to recognize the environmental and economic value of clean water rather than cave into industry lobbyists who profit from compromising our public trust waters.

The Neuse River Foundation is now looking for someone to fill the position; click here for a job description.

Commonly used pesticides present serious health risks for dogs and people

One of my dogs recently had her regular check-up at our veterinarian's office, where despite my oft-stated concerns over pesticide safety I was convinced to buy an expensive product to keep fleas, ticks and mosquitoes at bay during this exceptionally buggy summer.

It's perfectly safe, the doctor assured me.

As it turns out, she was wrong -- but she had no way of knowing that because of secrecy on the part of federal pesticide regulators.

The product in question was Advantix, a once-a-month topical treatment for dogs developed by Bayer. One of the active ingredients in Advantix is permethrin, a member of the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids, which are similar to the potent natural pesticide pyrethrin produced from chrysanthemums. Permethrin is also used on crops and to treat head lice and scabies in humans, and it's found in popular home insect sprays.

But a groundbreaking new report by the Center for Public Integrity -- based on a decade's worth of adverse incident reports filed by pesticide manufacturers with the Environmental Protection Agency -- documents serious safety problems with permethrin and other pyrethroids:

An analysis of EPA data by the Center for Public Integrity ... shows that the number of reported human health problems, including severe reactions, attributed to pyrethrins and pyrethroids increased by about 300 percent over the past decade. A Center review of the past 10 years' worth of more than 90,000 adverse-reaction reports, filed with the EPA by pesticide manufacturers, found that pyrethrins and pyrethroids together accounted for more than 26 percent of all fatal, "major," and "moderate" human incidents in the United States in 2007, up from 15 percent in 1998. Although the number of fatalities was low -- about 20 from 2003 to 2007 -- the amount of moderate and serious incidents attributed to the group -- more than 6,000 -- is significantly greater than any other class of insecticide.

Accompanying its study, CPI has created a searchable database of pesticide incident reports based on EPA data that has not been public until now. Deemed one of the "10 Most Wanted Government Documents" by the Center for Democracy and Technology, the EPA's database was released to CPI earlier this year under the Freedom of Information Act.

It shows that in North Carolina there have been five reported incidents involving Advantix and moderate adverse effects on humans.

The EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs hadn't planned to examine the health effects of this class of chemicals until 2010, but it now says it will expedite the process.