Tips on coyotes in the East Bay parks
There has been a lot of news lately about coyotes, especially the specific coyote that has been implicated in attacks on people in Moraga and Lafayette, so here’s some information about one of the more common animals in the regional parks and other open spaces. Coyotes range throughout the western United States and beyond. They can be found in almost every East Bay Regional Park District location, from the inland hills to the bay shoreline. Adaptable and intelligent, they also prowl nearby suburban neighborhoods, including mine in Pleasant Hill.
You may not see the animal itself, but you will often see its distinctive scat (droppings), which has a lot of fur mixed in with it from the small rodents that make up its basic diet. Through their eating habits, coyotes help to control the population of animals such as rabbits, ground squirrels, skunks and raccoons. They are pretty much omnivorous; they will also go for fish, birds, reptiles and even insects. Coyotes resemble smaller, skinnier versions of German shepherd dogs. Generally tan in color, they have long snouts and bushy, black-tipped tails.
Although they look like dogs, coyotes are wild and may occasionally be aggressive, especially if protecting a den. If you are walking with your dog and see a coyote approaching, it’s best to call your pet back to you and put it on leash. If a coyote follows you, make loud noises to scare it away. Until the Moraga and Lafayette incidents, coyote attacks on people had been very rare. I’ve seen them occasionally in the regional parks, and they’ve generally kept their distance.
By the way, cows do not differentiate between coyotes and dogs; they regard both as predators. This may account for cows’ sometimes-nervous behavior when you walk past them with your dog. If there are cows in the vicinity, your dog is supposed to be leashed. It’s best for both species if coyotes remain wary of humans. So coyotes should never be given handouts or fed unintentionally by leaving pet food or garbage where they can get to it. Especially if you live near open space, feed your pet indoors and use trash containers with lids that clamp shut.
It’s also advisable to keep pets such as cats, rabbits and small dogs indoors. If allowed to run free outside, they can become coyote prey. Large dogs should be brought indoors after dark and should not be allowed to run loose. Coyotes can and do mate with domestic dogs. Moreover, if you let your large dog run free outside at night, it can pack up with other freerunning dogs and hunt wildlife in the parks. This is not a good outcome. For more information about coyotes, check out the California State Fish and Wildlife Department’s webpage on them at wildlife. ca.gov/keep-me-wild/coyote. There’s even more information at a webpage of the department’s counterpart in Washington state: wdfw.wa.gov/living/coyotes.html.
EAST CONTRA COSTA >>
Round Valley Regional Preserve south of Brentwood, which had been closed because of fire-related damage, is now open again. The park is located on Marsh Creek Road about two miles east of Deer Valley Road in East Contra Costa County. It’s beautiful, essentially an expansive grassland in a valley between several high ridgelines. There’s abundant wildlife, including golden eagles. It’s also habitat for the San Joaquin kit fox, a rare and endangered animal. For that reason, dogs are not allowed in the park. So please leave your pooch at home.
The land was originally purchased in 1873 by Thomas Murphy, an Irish immigrant who established a ranch there. His grandson, Jim Murphy, sold the core 700 acres to the park district in 1988. The family wanted the property to be kept in open space for public enjoyment. Maps of the parkland with information about its cultural and natural history can be downloaded from the park district’s website at ebparks.org. There’s no convenient public transportation to the somewhat remote park.
A REMINDER >> the public meeting on regional park plans for the former Roddy Ranch Golf Course in Antioch, also in East Contra Costa, will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 11. You can learn about habitat restoration, recreation opportunities and public access. There will also be discussion of the property’s present condition, the project timeline and other ways in which the public can become involved. The meeting will be held online via Zoom. To attend the virtual meeting, go to ebparks.org/about/planning/roddyranch for the Zoom link. For more information, contact Eddie Willis, the project planner, at ewillis@ebparks.org.