COYOTE call Wildlife conflict Tips for Avoiding Conflict with Wildlife in the City Dec. Jan. Feb. 2014-2015 Discover Aurora’s True Nature Respect Remember to respect the WILD in wildlife. Many potentially harmful interactions with wildlife occur because people fail to respect and leave wild animals alone. • Do not attempt to harass, harm, corner, capture, or tame wild animals. • Do not intentionally feed wild animals. • Do not handle wildlife that appears to be sick or injured. • Do not allow pets to play with or harass wildlife. • Take steps to secure potential, but unintentional, food sources such as rubbish, compost, pet food and water, birdbaths or bird feeders. Aurora Naturalist Program Calendar Photo By Kevin Holiday Colfax Ave. Morrison Nature Center Smith Road Don’t wait for wildlife to get comfortable in your yard or in your home. If you are experiencing elevated conflict, the best response is an immediate one. • Temporarily remove attractants such as water, bird feeders or fallen fruit. • Temporarily remove access to easy shelter or hiding places such as brush piles. Trim dense landscaping up and away from the ground. • Temporarily lock or secure pet doors at night. • Install motion-activated lighting, temporary lighting or noisemakers such as a radio set to play on a talk station. • Temporarily place scent deterrents such as ammonia soaked rags, mothballs enclosed in a stocking, citronella or cayenne pepper in the area. • Haze (shout or clap your hands with the intent to scare off) coyotes and foxes out of your yard. Do not tolerate or encourage wildlife loitering on your property. • If a wild animal is stuck in a window well or dumpster, carefully place a long, wide and rough plank at an angle extending from the base of the well or dumpster to the lip, then leave the area. This may allow the animal to safely climb out on its own. Remove the plank once the animal has left the area Chambers Rd. Respond Airport Blvd. Simple and inexpensive preventive measures can save time and money. Inspect your yard and home for potential wildlife trouble spots and correct them before they become an issue. • Cover window wells with commercially available grates or bubbles or DIY using hardware cloth or chicken wire. • Monitor and close holes around and under foundations, decks and patios, so animals are not tempted to move in. • Secure rubbish in a metal or plastic container. Secure lids with a bungee cord or heavy rock. If possible, store trash in a shed or garage. Wait until the morning of trash pick-up day to curb your trash. • Keep pet food and water indoors. Store pet food in secure containers. Do not store pet food near a pet door with outdoor (wild animal) access. • To avoid pet conflict, supervise pets in yards where coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks have been observed. • Screen fireplace chimneys and vents (be sure to consider all fire and safety hazards for this step). Immediately repair attic holes. • Seal foundation, fascia and soffit cracks larger than one-quarter inch. Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch 16002 East Smith Road Aurora, CO 80011 303-326-8445 • auroragov.org/nature Secure Aurora Naturalist Public Program Calendar Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch 16002 E. Smith Rd. | Aurora, CO 80011 | 303-326-8445 City of Aurora Parks, Recreation & Open Space (PROS) The Quality of Life Department COYOTE call Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch | 16002 E. Smith Rd. | Aurora | 303-326-8445 | auroragov.org/nature Hours: Wed.-Fri. 12-4:30 p.m. • Sat.-Sun. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. • Closed Mon.-Tue. • Registration Line: 303-326-8650 Photo credits Kevin Holiday, Kenny Spradling and Bert Philipus FAMILIES Junior Rangers Full Moon Hike Nature Fact or Fiction Learn about the plants & animals that call Star K Ranch home in this fun & educational class. Animals in Winter • 218798 Dec. 14 Oh Deer! • 218800 Jan. 11 Poop & Pellets • 218799 Feb. 8 Sun., 1:30-3 p.m. Ages 6 & older Winter Break Nature Fun Ages 5 & older Walk as the full moon rises to see who’s out at night. Star K Ranch 218793 Dec. 6 • Sat., 4:45-5:45 p.m. Test your knowledge of local flora & fauna as we bust some nature myths! 218792 Dec. 12 • Fri., 7-8 p.m. Winter Solstice Walk Ages 5 & older Join us for an early morning walk as we celebrate the rising sun on the shortest day of the year. 218811 Dec. 21 • Sun., 7-8 a.m. Environmental Film Night Ages 12 & older Come watch the first full-length documentary film ever made about legendary environmentalist Aldo Leopold. Green Fire highlights Leopold’s extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped & influenced the modern environmental movement. Dave Steinke, director of Green Fire, will be joining us for a Q & A after the film. 219753 Jan. 9 • Fri., 7-9 p.m. Nature Hike at Coal Creek Arena Ages 8 & older Look for raptors, tracks & other signs of wildlife on this winter morning stroll. Coal Creek Arena 218810 Jan. 17 • Sat., 9-10:30 a.m KIDS Star K Kids Ages 5 & under Discover Aurora’s true nature through puppets, interactive activities & discovery time on the trail. Thu., 9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. Ages 6-12 Ages 6-12 Join us for one, two, or all three fun-filled days of winter survival, animal tracking, shelter building & more! Bring snacks, water bottle & dress to be outdoors. 218809 Dec. 30 • Tue., 9 a.m.-12N 219864 Dec. 31 • Wed., 9 a.m.-12N 218808 Jan. 2 • Fri., 9 a.m.-12N $10 per day • Registration required. BIRDING 101 Learn ID basics & much more in these birding classes & hikes. Birds of a Feather Ages 8 & older Learn all about backyard bird feeding from the staff at Aurora’s Wild Bird’s Unlimited store & some basic ID skills in this fun class. 219754 Dec. 13 • Sat., 10 a.m.-12N Winter Raptor Watching Clinic Ages 10 & older Winter is a great time to look for raptors in Aurora. Learn which birds winter here, then head out on the trail to try & spot them. 219755 Jan. 10 • Sat., 10 a.m.-12N Bird Walk Ages 8 & older Look for hawks, owls, eagles & other birds as we walk the trails. 218796 Feb. 14 • Sat., 8:30-10:30 a.m. • Coal Creek EVENTS Volunteer Steward Recruitment Event Ages 18 & older 219856 Feb. 28 • Sat. 10-11 a.m. Join us for this recruiting event & discover how volunteers provide essential support for Aurora’s true nature through trail patrols, steward work projects, resource monitoring, event staffing, educational programs & more. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or calling 303-326-8445. Free, registration required. Colorado Environmental Film Festival Aurora’s “Love Me, Don’t Feed Me” videos have been selected to be shown at the 9th Annual Colorado Environmental Film Festival. We’d like to invite you to come view our videos along with amazing films selected from around the world that will engage & inspire you. In conjunction with the film festival is an environmental photography exhibition, electronic recycling, and a “Green” Expo. For more information on attending the festival, entering your own environmental photograph in the exhibition & more, go to www.ceff.net. February 19, 20 & 21, 2015 American Mountaineering Center 710 10th St., Golden, CO 80401 Registration is required for all programs, except Star K Kids. To register for nature programs, call 303-326-8650 or go online at auroragov.org/recreation. All programs held at Morrison Nature Center, unless noted otherwise. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult for all programs except Jr. Rangers. Programs may be cancelled due to low participation or poor weather. For more information call 303-326-8445 or email [email protected].
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