Portland Urban Coyote Project

The Portland Urban Coyote Project seeks to understand how people and coyotes interact and to help the community learn about our coyote neighbors.

Through a community science program, we collect, map, and analyze coyote sightings in the Portland metro area and share the results with the scientific community and Portland residents. We also provide free, accessible, and evidence-based information about living with coyotes.

http://portlandcoyote.com/map

Since 2010, the Portland Urban Coyote Project has collected reports of coyote sightings from throughout the Portland metro area. We have collected more than 20,000 reports, helping demonstrate that coyotes live throughout the Portland area. These data have helped us understand when and where people see coyotes, what coyotes are doing when they are spotted, and how Portland metro residents feel about seeing coyotes. The mapping project helps us inform our efforts to reduce human/coyote conflict and to educate the public about urban coyotes.

Map link: portlandcoyote.com/map
Research summary link: https://www.portlandcoyote.com/research.html

Online Tutorial

The Portland Urban Coyote Project tutorial is a 30-minute introduction to our region’s urban coyotes. It includes information about what to do when you see a coyote, basic information about coyotes, and what we are learning from our research.

Tutorial link

Educational Materials

Coyotes in the Classroom is a free workbook intended for use inside and outside the classroom for grades 5 and up. The workbook is accompanied by a curriculum guide, companion slides, and an answer key.

Workbook link

Publications

These publications have grown out of Portland Urban Coyote Project data and partnerships:

Coyotes on the Web: Understanding Human-Coyote Interaction and Online Education Using Citizen Science, Zuriel Rasmussen (van Belle), 2015. Master’s thesis. Results suggest that educational tools in citizen science projects can be effective for providing information and shaping attitudes about urban coyotes.
Portland Urban Coyote Project: A Review of Citizen Science's Utility for Researching Urban Canids and the Human Environment, Keith VanderBrooke, 2021. Master’s thesis. Observations given by PUCP respondents provide information both about coyotes and about the people who observe them, creating a rich resource for further study in Portland as well as the many other communities with resident coyotes.

We also present our work at academic conferences and at community events like Coyote-palooza and neighborhood association meetings.

Partners

The Portland Urban Coyote Project regularly partners with many community organizations, including Bird Alliance of Oregon, Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, Humane World for Animals, OSU’s Institute for Natural Resources, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.