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always for the community VOL 18, NO 4 April 2013
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SPOTLIGHT
Rugby Club wins championship
Front row: Jack Romero, Noah Garcia, Tyler Lenk, Emilio Arechaederra, Garrett Walker, Jagger Beeken, and Jack Mulholland. Back Row: Giovanni Ruiz, Cole Stephens, Joshua Perry, Aiden Vaupen, Grant Summers, Carson Jones, JP Murphy, Dylan Purandare and Giacomo Ruiz
On Saturday March 30, 2013 the Danville Oaks Rugby Club competed at the Northern California Youth Rugby (NCYRA) Championships in Orinda at the U8, U10 and U12 age group levels. The NCYRA Championships featured over 60 teams totaling more than 600 players from the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Sacramento area to play for championships in each age bracket and weight division.
ECRWSS
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Spring is in the air, but that’s not all! With it comes warming temperatures, flowers and allergies. For many the season brings the dread of a new season of sniffles, itching eyes post nasal drip. From February to June the largest cause of allergy related suffering is tree pollen, especially heavy after seasonal rains. Fortunately it is not the brightly flowering trees like this magnolia in the Tice Valley area of Walnut Creek that are the culprits. It is the plain looking plants that cause the most allergy symptoms. See article on page 7.
Adaptive coyotes abundant in urban and open spaces By James. M. Hale, Wildlife Biologist
Despite bounties and large-scale efforts to kill coyotes for more than 100 years, coyotes have expanded their range throughout the United States and Canada tremendously. Two centuries ago, the early explorers of this continent made frequent references to wolves and foxes in their journals, however they seldom mentioned coyotes. Extirpation of wolf populations and the expansion of widespread agribusiness and forestry have favored conditions for the adaptive coyote. The larger and more powerful gray wolf is one of the few natural checks on coyote abundance. Today, coyotes thrive in suburban settings and even some urban ones. Researchers estimate there are up to 2,000 coyotes living in the greater Chicago area and this scenario applies to other urban landscapes across North America. Coyotes inhabit Golden Gate Park after crossing the Golden Gate
Bridge and dispersal from the peninsula. They are found in Central Park in New York City after crossing bridges and are frequently seen throughout the Los Angeles megapolis. Coyotes are commonly encountered t h ro u g h o u t t h e E a s t B ay Area because of our habitat protection with the East Bay Regional Parks, Mount Diablo State Park, watersheds and open spaces. Evolutionary theory suggests the coyote evolved in North America during the Pleistocene epoch 1.81 million years ago alongside the dire wolf. Coyote is ultimately derived from the Aztec word coyotl, meaning trickster. Its scientific name, Canis latrans means “barking dog” in Latin. Because the coyote is so prevalent throughout the west,
many of our towns, lakes, reservoirs, creeks, parks and other land features have been named after this wild canine. Native American lore about the coyote is rich and plentiful. Much magic has been associated with the coyote, who is the creator, teacher, culture hero, trickster and keeper of magic.
The coyote is a fascinating animal filled with paradox, but at the heart of its energy is the balance of wisdom and folly. Their is always hidden wisdom when the coyote is concerned. Coyotes figured prominently See COYOTE page11
This month’s Special Sections:
Kids Camps & Education page 10 Health & Wellness page 7
Spring Home & Garden pages 8-9