Some Coyotes Are Welcome In Lakewood
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Spot a coyote in a Lakewood park? Take a second look before becoming alarmed or calling wildlife officers.
Coyotes in Addenbroooke Park off Kipling Street are going to be a permanent part of the landscape there. But not to worry, they're not real.
Many cities are beginning to use coyote decoys to deter thousands upon thousands of geese that flock to parks, golf courses and sports fields. The reason? Mainly for the mess -- each goose can produce a couple of pounds of waste every day.
In Lakewood geese in Addenbrooke Park were nearly covering every inch of the lake there. The city uses that water to irrigate the park and the waste was clogging up the plumbing.
It's illegal to harm Canada geese, which is why other methods have to be used to try and get them to leave.
"We've had hundreds, even thousands sometimes, all across the soccer fields, the picnic pavilions, and the lake," Lakewood Parks supervisor Jim Haselgren said. "It creates a water quality problem, as well as an unsightly mess, which we need to clean up every day when the big flocks are in town."
Dicks Sporting Goods Park, Jefferson County schools, and the city of Arvada are other examples of places that are using coyote decoys.
Sometimes they have to be moved around because the geese start to figure out they aren't real, but for the most part, they are working.
