"Mendocino County Suspends Contract With a Federal Wildlife Agency"

"In a settlement with a coalition of animal advocacy groups, Mendocino County has agreed to suspend renewal of its contract with a federal wildlife management agency pending completion of an environmental impact report that will consider nonlethal methods of predator control.

The move came five months after the coalition filed a lawsuit accusing the county of failing to complete a legally required environmental review before approving a $142,356 contract authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Agency to kill predators including coyotes.

Under the terms of the settlement, the coalition led by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Project Coyote agreed to dismiss its lawsuit."

Louis Sahagun reports for the Los Angeles Times April 15, 2015.