Assume the role of someone living or working in a community where coyotes have been observed with increasing frequency. Write a persuasive letter to the editor (or present an argument at a mock town meeting) about what you recommend should be done, or not done, to “manage the coyote population.” Roles might include: Mayor, city council, restaurant owner, veterinarian, public health officer, wildlife biologist, naturalist, trapper, animal rights advocate, farmer, livestock owner, hunter, mother of toddlers, golf course manager, etc….
Coyotes finding new home in downtown Chicago
Coyotes usually try to avoid human contact. Yet animal experts say an increasing number of coyotes are setting up shop in one of most dense urban labyrinths: downtown Chicago. The seemingly incongruous marriage between coyotes and a people-packed habitat has occurred naturally, according to Stan Gehrt, an Ohio State University professor who specializes in coyote research in Cook County. Gehrt said he and his team know of no deliberate efforts to release coyotes into the downtown area.
Chicago Tribune
HS-LS2-7 (High School)
Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
MS-LS2-5 (Middle School)
Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.