Research
Who Are We?
We are the team behind the Cultivating Canid Coexistence Program, or the C3 Program, composed of the Wolf Conservation Center’s education staff, research lab, and research partners. We’re interested in integrating research with public engagement and education to develop a collaborative approach to conservation and coexistence, particularly for canids (the animals in the dog family known as Canidae), such as wolves and coyotes.
To protect and coexist with wolves and coyotes, we need to understand their ecology: how they interact with their environment including prey, competition, habitat, and people. Our research team, known as the Wolf Conservation Center’s Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab (WCC-IECL), conducts field research to investigate eastern canid ecology and management. Learn more about WCC-IECL here!
Project Goals
Currently, our focus is on our wild coyote neighbors. We’re using remote camera data to study eastern coyotes in Westchester County, NY, Cameron Parish, LA, and Gwinnett County, GA. We’re also collecting people's wildlife sightings to understand how they feel about their local coyotes and other species. We aim to integrate our ecology data with our sighting reports to build a community-centered management approach that improves human-coyote relationships.
Project Background
Humans and wildlife share more of their daily lives than you might think. We're all neighbors in the "social-ecological system," or the SES. The SES is a world made up of human society, wildlife populations, and natural habitats. Yet, people and animals can only coexist when we make a conscious effort.
A graphic showing the parts of the social-ecological system. This is a big-picture view of what makes up the human and non-human systems, and how they're connected. Read more about this figure and the SES in the red wolf's historical range here.
By examining human-wildlife relationships through an interconnected system, we can assess how human factors interact to shape the natural world and vice versa. For example, people with negative attitudes toward coyotes may support their lethal removal, whereas people with positive or neutral attitudes may accept their presence and support coexistence efforts. Likewise, the abundance and behavior of coyotes impact the frequency and context in which they interact with people, which in turn impacts people’s attitudes and behavior. With this information, we can evaluate existing management plans and involve communities in the decision-making process.
Why Are Coyotes Important to Wolf Conservation?
The red wolf once lived in all states east of the Mississippi River, along with Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Now only 26 known red wolves live in North Carolina. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), supported by organizations such as the WCC, is looking for more wolf-friendly places they can call home.
Understanding coyote ecology in the eastern U.S. is essential to red wolf recovery because coyotes inhabit the red wolf's historical range. Coyotes prefer similar habitat to red wolves, so studying their space use helps us identify features that indicate high quality habitat. Also, the feelings people have toward coyotes may be similar toward both species, so coyote-tolerant regions may be tolerant toward red wolves. We can then map out areas with suitable habitat and tolerant communities for potential red wolf reintroduction sites. Additionally, understanding coyote ecology can guide non-lethal coyote management. This knowledge can help prevent coyotes and red wolves from interbreeding with each other.
With all this in mind, the C3 Program is integral to advocacy for human-canid coexistence. It is also founded on WCC's mission to advance the survival of wolves by inspiring a global community through education, advocacy, research, and recovery.
This project will continue through Spring 2028. During this time, we will expand further throughout the eastern United States, with a primary focus on canids.
How You Can Help!
The data we gather from our remote cameras helps us estimate the total number of coyotes in the county populations and identify their habitat use. With your help, we can do exactly this. We can compare coyote behavioral patterns to those of other species, particularly other carnivores and deer. By helping to identify the species in our photos and their locations within the frame, you're helping to organize our data for analysis.
In terms of the human-coyote relationship, the C3 Program seeks opportunities to involve community members beyond data processing. We want YOU to be part of our project by collecting wildlife sightings, attending outreach events, and learning about your four-legged neighbors through our educational programming.
You can keep up with WCC-IECL's outreach and C3 community science program updates via our webpage and Announcement board.
Thank so much you for your support!