Preserve to close during coyote denning

WESTON — Reports show that coyote confrontations are on the rise in the state, specifically in densely populated areas. In Weston, coyotes are no stranger to the area, with aggressive interactions closing the 60-acre Katharine Ordway Preserve in 2019.

The preserve, which is part of the Connecticut Nature Conservancy, reopened on Sept. 1. Officials recently reminded residents they’re enforcing the preserve’s no pets policy and encouraged residents to stay on the marked trails. Preserve Manager Cynthia Fowx said this can help visitors avoid negative interactions with coyotes.

The two incidents involving aggressive coyote interactions occurred in 2019 and 2021, though Fowx said both happened when dogs were present during coyote pup denning season. These are the only interactions with wildlife that have ever occurred on the preserve, she said. The incident in 2021 happened when the preserve was closed to the public.

“Their natural instinct is to stay away from humans, but they can feel stressed or threatened by domestic dogs,” she said about coyotes.

“I believe that they see domestic dogs as a threat or they can illicit a stress response in the dogs, and so that can produce a variety of behaviors from the coyotes,” she added.

Fowx said the no pets policy has existed for decades on the preserve, which opened in the 1980s and is surrounded by residential homes.

“We have just been reminding the public that this is still a rule and that it will be enforced,” she said.

The preserve will now stay closed during denning season from April 1 through Aug. 31, Fowx said. This is when coyotes are protective of their dens and newborns.

“We’re using that timeframe to make sure we’re avoiding conflict,” she said.

The preserve closed in 2019 after the first reported incident “so that we could make sure our visitors were having safe and positive experiences on the preserve and to balance that with the protection of wildlife, in this case, the coyotes,” Fowx said.

It remained closed until this fall.

During that time they also updated the trail system to keep visitors in the center of the preserve and make sure that they could monitor visitors better to ensure they were following the no pets policy, Fowx said.

“If they violate the policy, they are at risk of illiciting threatening behavior from the coyotes,” she said. “We hope that it will remind people that pets are not allowed in the preserve, so that they can avoid negative interactions with the coyotes and to help us protect these important species that call this preserve home.”

Coyotes are beneficial to the ecosystem, as they help control the rodent population, she said.

As for other areas, she said people can remove food from outside their homes, like fallen fruit, refrain from feeding wild animals and keep garbage and compost in animal-proof containers.

“We have been working there for a long time,” she said. “Visitors and staff have been around the coyotes, and the coyotes have always stayed away from us. We’ve only seen them at a distance.”

“We’re balancing the protection of wildlife and habitats with safe and positive human experiences in nature,” Fowx said.