Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option. Go to eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Sept. 7
- Board of Assessors, 11 a.m., Small Meeting Room
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room
Monday, Sept. 11
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room
Tuesday, Sept. 12
- Conservation Commission Onsite, 8:15 a.m., Town Hall
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting room
Thursday, Sept 14
- Eastham Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m., Small Meeting Room
- Cultural Council, 6 p.m., Small Meeting Room
- Nauset School Committee, 6 p.m., Earle Mountain Meeting Room
Conversation Starter
Don’t Feed the Coyotes
Eastham Animal Control Officer Stephanie Sykes is asking residents concerned about coyote pups that appear to be infected with mange not to feed the animals.
She asks that people give her information about or photos they take of the animals. “It helps me monitor them,” she says. It’s also an opportunity to educate the public about the coyotes.
She estimates there are five pups in Eastham and said they do not all have mange. Using a catch pole, she has been trying to capture the pup with the most significant signs of the skin disease for treatment at Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable. “A lot of people are concerned, but that pup is healthy enough to outrun me,” said Sykes.
Trapping coyotes is illegal without permission from the Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife. Sykes consulted with a state biologist this week and was told she would not be permitted to use a trap at this time.
Treatment at the wildlife center takes about two months, and the coyote would be released back into the area from which it was taken.
Sykes was concerned that people may have been feeding the pup, as it recently did not seem to be as skinny as would have been expected.
According to information from MassWildlife, feeding wildlife can contribute to the spread of mange because it spreads through close contact — such as when animals are using the same feeding sites. It is also illegal to distribute medication such as Ivermectin. Coyotes, MassWildlife notes, “do have the ability to recover from mange on their own.” —Linda Culhane
