TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement, and any related documents, with the Loyola Marymount University Center for Urban Resilience, to conduct a one-year study involving human and coyote conflicts in the City of Long Beach, in an annual amount not to exceed $34,000, with an option to extend the study for two one-year terms, at the discretion of the City Manager. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
Like many other cities in Southern California and all across the country, the City of Long Beach (City) has been dealing with human and coyote conflicts for many years. In November 2015, the Animal Care Services Bureau in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (ACS), developed a comprehensive coyote management plan as well as an online map to provide information to the community regarding recent coyote activity throughout the city. However, ACS continues to hear from members of the community that neither the current plan nor City staff have the background and knowledge to effectively deal with this issue. Although this issue is not as broad or widespread as is often portrayed, ACS believes that a more intensive study will help to better inform policies and practices moving forward.
In order to gain the necessary scientific information needed to develop a long term coyote management solution, ACS proposes to embark on a one- to three-year study conducted by leading researchers from the CURes program. CURes is a group of academics, environmental professionals and community partners committed to improving the quality of life in urban communities. Information gathered from the initial year of the study will be used to determine future decisions regarding the need and scope for the possible additional years of the study. In addition to the biophysical study, the researchers and their teams will be focusing on human social factors.
Components of the study include, but are not limited to, the following:
ยท Review of existing co...
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