The debate over how to control aggressive coyotes is heating up in Greenwood Village, where a city-hired hunter shot and killed a coyote last week.

A leader of WildEarth Guardians conservation group, who has been following the contract hunter, has filed a careless driving complaint against him and the city.

The hunter, in turn, has accused activists of harassment and interfering with his work.

The dispute underscores the strong disagreements over how to deal with coyotes that are thriving in urban neighborhoods, often by dining on pets.

Nicole Rosmarino, wildlife director for the group, accused contract hunter Jay Stewart of using his truck to briefly block her car as she and a colleague were parked in Centennial Feb. 14.

Rosmarino said she and the conservation group's attorney had been photographing the contractor as he scouted for coyotes in a Greenwood Village park earlier that day. She filed a complaint with the Arapahoe County sheriff and an April 14 court date is set.

Stewart said he pulled in front of the car and got out to photograph their New Mexico license plates so Greenwood Village police could identify the people who had been following him. He later learned it was the same people who were photographing him dailyas he hunted for problem coyotes.

"It's obstruction; it's harassment," Stewart, who's hunted and trapped animals for more than 40 years said Tuesday.

Stewart said activists routinely are in Westlands Park, "putting themselves between me and where I need to be to get this (coyote) issue resolved." That's where he killed an adult coyote Thursday evening, near where an animal menaced a 14-year-old boy in December. He was unharmed.

"They're interfering and there's no doubt about it," Stewart said.

Rosmarino said she and fellow conservationists are simply documenting Stewart's work.

Rosmarino calls Greenwood Village's policy of shooting menacing coyotes a "colossal failure," saying research shows killing the predators causes them to respond by over-breeding.

"They have hired Jay Stewart on-and-off over the last decade and he has killed dozens of coyotes in the city," but the problem persists, she said.

Her group wants the city to embrace the non-lethal approach of neighboring Centennial. That city encourages residents to take precautions such as not feeding coyotes, keeping pets leashed or, if approached by an animal, shouting or throwing rocks at it.

Greenwood Village said it has long educated the public about coyote deterrence. The City Council only reinstituted controlled hunting in parks and greenbelts after incidents involving menacing coyotes, some running in packs.

"Coyotes that attack a person or a pet on a leash, such as what happened in Denver, we think that's a public safety issue," said Greenwood Village City Manager Jim Sanderson.

He was referring to a report that a trio of coyotes attacked a woman in south Denver Saturday evening as she walked her dog. One of the animals scratched and bit her.

Meanwhile, Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe replied to WildEarth Guardians' criticisms in an e-mail.

"When we have children attacked, parents afraid to let their children walk to school or play in their yards, and the public afraid to use trails and open space ... we have a problem that cannot and should not be ignored," the mayor wrote to Rosmarino.

"Greenwood Village will take the action that our council believes to be the best to protect the safety and welfare of our residents and users of our parks and trails. I can assure you that our action is based on a great deal of information and careful thought," Sharpe added.

Sanderson stressed the city's support for on-going public education like what Centennial does. But during recent public hearings, he said, "We had people who said that's just not working." One resident said, "I blew my sports horn and the three coyotes that were around me didn't run off and weren't afraid," Sanderson recalled.

The city manager expressed confidence in Stewart, saying the contractor only kills coyotes whose behavior is "menacing or dangerous."

"He's good at what he does," he said of Stewart.

But WildEarth Guardians question Stewart's expertise.

"We have no confidence in Mr. Stewart to distinguish between an aggressive coyote and a normal coyote," Rosmarino said. "We believe he will shoot any coyote on sight."

Stewart rejected that characterization.

"We're just responding to incidents and ... removing the problem animals. It's not a plan of eradication," he said.

Denver's plan

* The city of Denver plans to educate residents about the dangers of feeding coyotes as part of its coyote management plan.

* City Council members are scheduled to meet today to discuss the plan, which emphasizes coexistence.

* Today's discussion comes after a Denver woman and her Labrador retriever were attacked by coyotes Saturday in Southmoor.

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