Urban Wildlife: How Can We Live and Let Live?

Join Wildlife & Endangeered Species Committee November 14 For a Symposium to Establish Guidelines for Humane Cohabitation

By Rosemarie White
Chair, Endangered Species and Wildlife Committee

A public symposium is being organized by the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter's Endangered Species and Wildlife Committee and we want you to be involved. Contributing to the discussion will be the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (LADRP), Los Angeles Wildlife Officers, City CouncilMembers, including Tom LaBonge and staff, California Wildlife Center, Duane Tom, DVM, Wildlife Rehabbers and many other experts including interested community members.

The Symposium is not designed as a defense or as a condemnation of recent incidents occurring in Griffith Park, our large Urban recreation area, which resulted in 8 Coyote deaths by the Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. What we want in this meeting is to generate interest from all entities and to go forward to formulate guidelines for state and local wildlife and animal control entities which will equally respect the needs of both human and animal species. The L.A. Recreation and Parks Department has already identified some actions which they hope to initiate, such as more bilingual signs, new trash receptacles which have firm lids and are placed in different locations, and a bilingual program of education for children and adults.

As this notice goes to press, we hope that Representatives from the Chumash Tribe, the Humane Society of the U.S., a concerned citizenry, and other experts will join in the much-needed discussion.

The Symposium will be held on Saturday, November 14, 10 AM until 2 PM, at the Griffith Park Ranger Station Auditorium on Zoo Drive in Griffith Park. We expect a large turn-out, so come early.

Requests for further information or questions should be directed to Dr. Rosemarie White, Chairperson for the Endangered Species and Wildlife Committee, at 818-769-1521.