By Jim Magowan
Turnagain Times Correspondent
Trapping is on the minds of many in the local area and the danger it poses to hikers and their dogs. Dogs have been caught in traps in recent years and now a coyote snared in Portage Valley along a popular trail has brought the issue once again to the forefront of concerned citizens.
“Trapping should not be allowed where people are, such as Girdwood or along the trail,” said Portage Valley landowner Henry Tomingas.
Tomingas said one of his dogs was killed after being caught in a snare in Girdwood and coyotes killed one.
“My dogs being killed does not change my view on that,” he said. “Trapping in these areas just adds to the problem. This is not a wildlife issue, it is a public safety issue.”
This appeared to be the consensus among residents of Turnagain Arm. To most, the issue is not whether people support or oppose trapping in general or coyote trapping in particular, it is about danger to people and pets from traps set in close proximity to trails and residences.
Community concern arose when a couple from Bird, hiking on the Trail of Blue Ice, found a dead coyote in a snare beside the trail in late January. The couple contacted the U.S. Forest Service enforcement ranger for the district and was told that trapping in the area is legal and no law was broken. Fish and Game officials agreed.
It might be a shock for children or even adults to unexpectedly come upon a dead animal in a trap, but to the couple involved, the real concern was that instead of a small snare, it could have been a large Connibear (kill) trap—a trap that could kill a dog or seriously injure a child, set beside the trail.
Local residents, trappers and biologists say the problem is not about trapping or about coyotes or coyote trapping, it is about safety in areas heavily used by families and pets for recreation.
Community concerns about trapping hazards in Portage Valley are on the agenda of a Portage Valley Community Council meeting scheduled for Monday March 22 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Community Council Center, 1057 West Fireweed Lane, Suite 100, in Anchorage.
“We have a huge investment in the Trail of Blue Ice,” said Steve Mendive, President of Portage Valley Community Council. “There was some initial resistance to the trail, but now there is a lot of acceptance. The concern is about mixed use. Trapping does not fit well with the Trail of Blue Ice. It is not about limiting trapping in Portage Valley, per se, just along the trail. There is a high risk in trapping along the trail.”
A common concern of residents of Portage and Girdwood, and biologists with the state Department of Fish and Game, and a trapper from Portage, was about safety in areas of high recreational or residential use.
“I hike in and set my traps out at least a half-mile from where people from Anchorage go,” said a local trapper, who wished to remain anonymous.
He also said that the incident where a coyote was recently caught in a snare along the Trail Blue Ice involved, not a professional trapper after coyotes, but a father and son trapping rabbits (hares). The coyote was caught by its toes in a rabbit snare, the trapper said, while it was feeding on a rabbit in another nearby snare and was then shot by someone who found it in the snare.
“Coyotes are really hard to catch, harder than wolves,” said the trapper. “Not only that, but they (their hides) aren't worth anything, so trappers aren't all that interested in trapping them.”
The consensus seems to be that a substantial coyote population exists in the Portage area, but there is not a great deal of interest in trapping coyotes, even by residents who have had their dogs killed by them.
Tomingas owns a ranch in Portage Valley. A coyote in the valley killed his 70-pound yellow lab.
“The Troopers should be able to stop a person who is doing something that endangers others,” Tomingas said. “If you tried to dig a 10-foot deep pit beside the trail would they stop you? They used to trap animals in pits, if trapping is legal can you dig a pit to trap animals beside a trail?”
Views on coyotes and how much of a danger they present varied to some degree as well.
“Coyotes can kill small dogs and cats, but they are not particularly dangerous to people,” according to Fish and Game Biologist Rick Sinnott, a sentiment shared by fellow biologist Howard Golden.
Sinnott mentioned that over the years coyotes have bitten a couple of people in Southcentral, but these were not serious maulings or life threatening attacks, just bites, he said.
Tomingas mentioned that when he was a young kid growing up in Jackson Hole, Wyo. he was chased on two occasions by packs of coyotes.
“A lot of people scoffed at the idea, but they weren't there, I was,” he said.
The risk of a serious coyote attack on a human exists, but appears to be remote and is not a major concern. Large dogs are not very likely to be attacked, particularly by a lone coyote because they are better able to protect themselves. Unlike wolves, coyotes usually hunt alone or in small groups.
No one interviewed by the Turnagain Times felt that the risk of a coyote attack warranted trapping around housing or a high use trail such as the Trail of Blue Ice.
“Coyotes are newcomers to Alaska,” said Golden. “They came up with the gold miners and when the roads were built. They get pushed out of high use wolf areas. They are fairly abundant along the roads but not very far off the road.”
“Coyotes are also moving into the cities and becoming habituated to people and cities,” Sinnott added.
According to the biologists there are wolf packs that use both Portage Valley and the Twentymile Valley, but wolves tend to avoid people and are not seen as often as coyotes.
The Forest Service has stated that they manage the habitat and the Alaska Board of Game manages the wildlife, so it is up to the Board of Game to regulate trapping.
“It is a public safety issue and should be handled by the Troopers,” said Tomingas, “but no one wants to deal with it. A trap near a trail or in a public area such as Girdwood is a public hazard.“
Photo courtesy of Bill Nickerson
A coyote was snared along the Trail of Blue Ice in Portage Valley. The snare was only about 8 feet from the trail.
