|
 The
Chino Hills State Park Interpretive Association (CHSPIA) held a fundraiser called Coyotes: Friend or Foe? in March 2008.
Following suit with other events, we had an Evening Program and Camp
Out. In attendance, were about 112 at the Evening Program and 86
at the Camp Out -- our second biggest crowd!
The Evening Program
Musician Jeff Garvin played guitar while the crowd sang favorites like
"This Land is Your Land" and "BINGO." Our evening speaker was
the witty John Mitchell from the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. His
intriguing information about coyotes and their behavior was most
helpful. He brought a fabulous array of "show and tell" items
from his turtle Lily to a coyote skin that we passed around the
audience. We learned about how leaving water, food or even
animals near our houses may entice a coyote to use your yard as its
own. Coyotes are very patient hunters -- some hunts last longer
than 14 hours! We also found out that a coyote yipping is either
a call for food (come and get it!) or a call for a mate -- either way
yipping is a social behavior that allows better communication amongst
the pack.
The Camp Out
Earlier in the afternoon families and Scout Troop 2399 arrived early to pitch their tents.
Some participants were lucky enough to hear a great horned owl hooting
and even a few coyotes yipping in the distance. Though the
weather was perfect on Saturday, around 1 AM we got a light rate that
persisted all morning. The rain seemed to urge a lot of the
campers to pack and head home before it got too muddy. The Park
is known for its clay soils which not only build up on your tires, but
also your shoes --- making for a mess! For those that hung
around, we enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee before packing up.
Event Sponsors:
Thank you to the organizations that made this event possible:
Norcross Foundation, Albertsons, Stater Brothers, Starbucks and Vons. |
