Mendocino County’s Wildlife Needs You!

Project Coyote and allies have been working for years to help usher Mendocino County into modern wildlife conservation by terminating their long-standing relationship with the rogue U.S. Department of Agriculture program misnamed “Wildlife Services.” In fact, Wildlife Services doesn’t serve wildlife—it ineffectively serves ranching and agricultural interests. In 2020 alone, California Wildlife Services killed 24,264 wild native animals including 56 black bears, 39 mountain lions, and 3,252 coyotes!

You may remember we had action in March on this issue. Since that meeting, county supervisors have been considering our points and are ready to make a decision at the upcoming meeting August 17th at 9 am PT.  We need you to speak up one last time!

Here’s how you can help:

MENDOCINO RESIDENTS: You have two ways to speak up—and we urge you to do both. Use the talking points below and personalize for greater impact.

1. Testify at the upcoming public hearing on August. 17th at 9:00 am PDT: 
(and remember to stay within the three-minute limit):

Register to speak for 3 minutes during our agenda item 5e by filling out a telecomment form. After you submit, you will receive instructions on how to virtually attend the meeting.

Link to listen and speak or call: 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 948 7586 7850
Passcode: 261352
Raise your hand: dial *9 Mute/ unmute your line: dial *6

2. Email the Counties’ Boards of Supervisors directly:

Use the talking points below to draft your comments, which can be submitted through the following options:

a. emailing bos@mendocinocounty.org; or

b. scrolling down to agenda item 5e and submitting ecomment on the agenda. Most important is to submit written comment before 8am PT on August 17th.

3. Share this alert and ask your friends and family in Mendocino County to submit written comments before 8am PT on August 17.

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• Ask the Board of Supervisors to not approve the retroactive Cooperative Service Agreement (CSA) with Wildlife Services and instead approve a 90-day notice to terminate. Please be polite–we feel confident about this vote so we want to make it easy for supervisors to do the right thing.
• Explain that you are a Mendocino County resident and relate any experience or knowledge you have about the ineffectiveness and cruelty of Wildlife Services’ lethal methods.
• Tell them that you do not want your taxpayer dollars spent on an expensive and ineffective program that senselessly kills wild animals at the behest of private interests.
• Mention that you want the county to provide a non-lethal exclusion service and education to effectively protect property and wildlife. Many cost-effective non-lethal methods exist. More info here.

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Thank you for helping protect California’s wildlife!
If you would like tips on what to present please contact Project Coyote Advisory Board member (and former Mendocino County Planning Commissioner) Don Lipmanson at 707-391-7624.