Wildlife experts to hold presentation on coyotes BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer "I think there's a lot of misinformation … out there about coyotes. We don't even know how many animals there are out there." - Gerard Scharfenberger Mayor MIDDLETOWN - In the wake of two confirmed attacks on young children in the area and numerous recent sightings, state wildlife experts are stepping up their efforts to control the coyote population in the area by using night vision goggles and educating the public. Recently, coyotes have avoided traps that were set by the state in the northern area of Middletown near Naval Weapons Station Earle. Township police have killed one coyote and wildlife experts have tried to lure other ones, but have been unsuccessful. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with shooters who are equipped with and trained to use night vision scopes, according to DEP spokeswoman Darlene Yuhas. Ever since the first attack on a child over two months ago, officials have been trying to conquer the problem. The DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a public presentation regarding coyotes for all Middletown residents on June 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church St. Wildlife experts will provide information about coyotes and their behavior patterns. "I think there's a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings out there about coyotes. We don't even know how many animals there are out there," township Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said. "It's time for people in town to become more aware of this problem through education, and we feel this is something that really needs to be done at this point." In a prepared statement, DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson said that "to help ease the understandable public safety concerns in Middletown, we will do more to educate residents about coyotes so we can replace fear with facts." Recently, local police have asked residents to tie brightly colored bandannas around their dogs' necks so that they will not be mistaken for coyotes. Scharfenberger said that while there weren't any reported sightings over the weekend, local officials are still keeping a close watch on the situation. "It's not like we're dealing with some organization where we can talk to them and fix the problem. This is a natural phenomenon we're dealing with. We're trying to contain them and we're trying to work as diligently as possible to get the situation under control," Scharfenberger said. "People know we're trying our best and they have been supportive of what we're trying to do." To assist the DEP in its efforts to eliminate the problem, Middletown police are authorized to shoot coyotes that are spotted during the officers' regular community patrol.