Surls Art

06/15/2026

Ms. Merganser and her mini-me.

05/30/2026

Sweet Caroline!

05/20/2026

This young female coyote’s eyes remind me our last dog, Gidget.

05/18/2026

This morning, I had the privilege of spending over an hour and a half with this beautiful badger. That’s probably longer than all my badger experiences combined.

Badgers, like all other species in Colorado classified as furbearers, can be killed in unlimited numbers. In July, we have an opportunity to change that and set reasonable limits through the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission. We need everyone to speak up! Find out how through .

04/28/2026

May 2, 2026
Community Naturalist: Pop-Up Workshops- Coyote Friendly Communities
Community Naturalist: Pop-Up Workshops are a collection of stand-alone, one-day classes offered on select Saturdays this spring and led by expert educators and naturalists from Denver Audubon and the broader naturalist community.

These workshops are not the full Community Naturalist program. Instead, they are designed for people who want to:

Explore specific topics in depth
Learn from guest experts
Build skills or knowledge without committing to a multi-day or multi-week course
Each Pop-Up Workshop is unique and offered as an individual registration. Workshops vary in topic, length, price, location, and schedule. There is no expectation that participants attend more than one workshop — you are welcome to sign up only for the sessions that interest you and fit your calendar.

Coyote Friendly Communities: Living Alongside Our Wild Neighbors
Coyotes are an important part of Colorado’s ecosystems, yet they are often misunderstood. Join Project Coyote’s Colorado State Coordinator, Mark Surls, for an engaging Community Naturalist Pop-Up Workshop exploring who coyotes are as individuals and as a species, the challenges they face, and how we can safely and compassionately coexist with them in our communities.

In this 90-minute session, you’ll learn about coyote behavior, ecology, and communication, as well as practical, research-based strategies for living alongside them in ways that support both human and wildlife communities. Whether you encounter coyotes in your neighborhood, on local trails, or are simply curious to learn more, this workshop offers a thoughtful, science-based perspective and time for questions and discussion.

This stand-alone workshop is part of the Community Naturalist Pop-Up Workshop series. Participants are welcome to register for this session individually — no prior classes or additional workshops required.

Instructor: Mark Surls, Colorado State Coordinator, Project Coyote

Date & Time: Saturday, May 2, 2:00–3:30 PM (1-hour presentation + 30-minute Q&A + optional post-presentation hike to look for evidence of coyotes at the Nature Center)

Location: Denver Audubon Kingery Nature Center
Signup:

03/07/2026

We finally got some more snow and the coyotes are letting everyone know they approve.

Thank goodness for image stabilization. Handheld at 840mm is not ideal…

03/06/2026

Join us for a great webinar!

📷🐺 Celebrate with us! Join our free webinar, Wild Kinship: A Look Into Coyote Lives Through Two Lenses 🐺📷

Coyotes are among the most maligned and misunderstood wildlife in North America—yet they are intelligent, devoted family members, skilled hunters, playful pups, and essential participants in healthy ecosystems.

Join us during Coyote Awareness Week for a powerful and personal visual journey into the lives of coyotes, led by Project Coyote staff members and wildlife photographers Karin Saucedo and Mark Surls. Through two distinct photographic lenses, Karin and Mark will share intimate moments from the field. Their work reveals deeply social, adaptable, and sentient beings navigating an increasingly human-dominated world.

Whether you’re a wildlife advocate, photographer, educator, or simply curious about the wild neighbors in your community, this conversation will leave you seeing coyotes in a new light. Come discover the beauty, complexity, and kinship that connect us to one of North America’s most remarkable species during Coyote Awareness Week.

Webinar Details:
🐾 What: Wild Kinship: A Look Into Coyote Lives Through Two Lenses
📅 Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
🕒 Time: 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST
📍 Zoom: https://loom.ly/19oDBxs (webinar will be recorded and made available to those who are unable to make the live event)

03/04/2026

Today SB26-62 received a favorable vote in the Senate Agricultural Committee and is headed to the Senate floor for a vote.

Originally, the bill set out to prohibit the use of the most toxic rat poisons and glue traps as well. It’s leaving the committee with many of the initial protections removed, but we will still restrictions on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.

Politics is hard and sometimes we are disappointed with the process and outcome, but progress is progress. I am incredibly thankful for the bill sponsors , and for Senate Ag Chair working with us to find a path forward.

03/04/2026

Mark Surls, Northern Rockies coordinator for Project Coyote, which supports the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition, says his organization “doesn’t oppose legal hunting and trapping that is based on scientifically and ethically sound management approaches.”

“We have just consistently asked that hunting and trapping seasons align with each species’ reproductive timing along with reasonable bag and possession limits, and for these to be afforded to coyotes and all furbearers — just as they are for game species. It’s important to remember that less than 5% of Colorado’s population holds a hunting license and even fewer hunt furbearers,” Surls said. “CPW data show that over 70% of coyote hunters kill two or fewer per season. It’s not extremism to want wildlife management based on reality, science and the preponderance of public views.”

https://coloradosun.com/2026/03/04/tension-over-furbearer-hunting-prompts-increased-security-at-cpw-meeting/?member=true&tier=Basic&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Colorado%20headlines%20for%20%20TODAY&utm_campaign=The%20Headlines%20-%20Daily%20%28Recurring%29%20%28Copy%29