Urban Coyote Research Project partners

The Department of Animal and Rabies Control, directed by Dr. Donna Alexander, provides support for our research due to mutual interests in disease monitoring and wildlife-to-domestic animal interactions. Although the Department is best known for direct work with domestic animals, they also have a responsibility to monitor the overall health of all animals in the area. Our disease surveillance helps provide Animal and Rabies Control a base-line data set to know or predict trends in wildlife diseases that could impact pet or human health. We especially want to acknowledge Dr. Dan Parmer (deceased), former Director of Cook County Animal & Rabies Control, for his foresight and unwavering support for long-term research of wildlife in the interests of public health. We hope we have honored his vision.

he Forest Preserve District of Cook County covers more than 69,000 acres, making it the largest forest preserve district in the United States. With a mission to preserve lands for recreation, the FPDCC also provides resources for education and scientific research. Specifically, the Wildlife Field Office offers technical, logistical, and financial support to all of our research projects. Under the direction of head wildlife biologist Chris Anchor, the expertise and man-power that has been offered to our research projects is too extensive to describe. Having been a founding researcher at the Cook County Coyote Project beginning, Anchor, along with his team, offers a wealth of knowledge about wildlife in our urban forest preserve parks. The County has a long-standing interest in research with over 20 years of data collected on numerous species. A special thanks goes to biologists Mike Neri, Chuck Rizzo, and Melina Peters for their continued assistance.

The Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation provides our research base in Dundee, IL. Set on over 1,200 acres, it is a private, non-profit organization, which includes a wildlife and fisheries research team as well as an education department. The Foundation also supports the Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow (CLfT) program that trains students and established professionals about many elements of wildlife management and conservation. At the Center for Wildlife Research, the Foundation provides a platform for wildlife study and education. As a founding principle, our research program must involve the advancement of both students and science. The technical and financial support offered by the Foundation makes our research possible. 

Dr. Stan Gehrt operates within the School of Environment and Natural Resources in the Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Laboratory at The Ohio State University (OSU). With the structural support of the University, the wildlife lab in Dundee, IL, provides a perfect, practical learning environment for graduate students and other researchers. Through the University's Extension program, Dr. Gehrt and his colleagues are able to expand the reach of their public education efforts.