The Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers are looking for Weminuche Wilderness bighorn sheep observation volunteers.
Weminuche bighorns are listed by the U.S. Forest Service as a sensitive species, meaning there is concern for their long-term viability.
Domestic sheep carry strains of pneumonia that are devastating for bighorn sheep. According to a joint issue statement of The Wildlife Society and the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians (released in March 2015): “It is now apparent that disease transmission from domestic sheep to wild sheep is a significant risk factor for the conservation and restoration of wild sheep populations,” and “effective separation of domestic sheep from wild sheep is the only currently available management solution for preventing or minimizing disease transmission.”
Terribly, a single outbreak can kill most of the bighorn sheep in a herd. In addition, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife research recently published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, significant lamb mortality can occur for many years in a herd following a single exposure. A 2008 study by Colorado Division of Wildlife scientists showed that a single domestic sheep that wandered onto bighorn winter range caused a die-off of more than 86 bighorns from 1997 to 2000.
In the Weminuche Wilderness, north and east of Durango, researchers are particularly interested in looking for bighorns at the northern and eastern boundaries of an area with three active domestic sheep grazing allotments.
For additional information, see the Colorado BHA Bighorn Observation Volunteer page at backcountryhunters.org/colorado_bha_bighorn_observation_volunteers_needed.
David Lien
Colorado Springs
