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Show A12 Wednesday, January 12, 2005 Vernal Express. Bighorn Sheep return To Little Hole And Mount Nebo Late in 2004, Charlie Greenwood received the phone call - "Make the arrangements, you're going to Montana!" Greenwood, a biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) quickly shuffled vacation time and arranged for trucks, trailers trail-ers and drivers. Then on December 27th, with Miles Hanberg (UDWR habitat biologist) biolo-gist) and four representatives representa-tives from the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) he began a long drive north to get Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to release into the Green River Corridor and Mount Nebo. "We were directed to two capture cap-ture sites, the Thompson Falls area (north of Missoula) and the Augusta area (west of Great Falls)," Greenwood said. "We were able to obtain 52 bighorn sheep, 34 from Thompson Falls and 18 from Augusta." Helicopter capture work isn't cheap; it cost $650 an animal. ani-mal. Ryan Foutz, President of the Utah Chapter of FNAWS, TV- Two Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are being released into the wild after being relocated from Montana. didn't quibble about the bill. "The capture bill came to $33,500," Foutz said. "It was well worth the price. These animals came out of the Rock Creek area, which is noted for their genetics. They should be a great addition to the Utah herds." After loading the bighorns, the drivers then turned their double-decker trailers around and headed for Utah. "These are some of the big gest, healthiest bighorns I've ever seen," said Walt Donaldson, UDWR regional supervisor as he watched the group from Thompson Falls, three rams and 31 ewes and lambs, being released near Little Hole on December 30th. Greenwood wasn't there; he was still in Montana. "I was hoping for a few more," admitted Greenwood. "Idaho wasn't allowed to release their sheep until January 1, so the biologists in Montana let us load the first 18 from Augusta. I was hoping that after Idaho got theirs, we might get a few more. Then, I had to drive to meet the biologists from the Central Region so they could release their 18 onto the slopes of Mount Nebo. As a result, I missed both releases." Still, Greenwood isn't disappointed. dis-appointed. His dream of reintroducing rein-troducing bighorn sheep all the way down the Green River Corridor is one link closer. "The Flaming Gorge-Green River reintroductions began in 1983 and '84 when 36 bighorn sheep were released on Bare Top," Greenwood said. "The Sheep Creek release followed in 1989, Carter Creek in 2000 and Red Canyon in 2001. We estimate the total population of our herds is about 200. "We'd like to reintroduce bighorn into a few more sites so they can link up with other reintroduction efforts along the Green River Corridor. Colorado reintroduced bighorns big-horns near Ladore Canyon and Haroers Corner and these herds can now be found along the canyons of Dinosaur National Monument. Further south, the Ute Tribe introduced bighorns at Florence Creek in Desolation Canyon." "We wouldn't have been able to release the bighorns without the help from our partners," Greenwood said. "The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), FNAWS, UDWR and other partners part-ners have been working for years to get the habitat ready for the reintroductions." Much of the recent habitat work centered on the Mustang Fire. "Bighorn sheep prefer steep, rocky areas that are open with good forbs and grasses," Greenwood explained. "The USFS and BLM had several prescribed burns planned for this area since the mid-1980s to remove some of the trees on the slopes for bighorn sheep. Then the Mustang Fire changed the schedule. The fire cleared the rugged slopes of most of the Delmer Hyde, ChFC, CLU Financial Consultant delmer.hydeaxa-advisors.com a Claye R. Robb Financial Consultant claye.robbaxa-advisors.com 1218 West Highway 40 Vernal, UT 84078 Tel. 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FNAWS helped solve one of our biggest problems, providing immediate immedi-ate funds to help pay for the aerial application of the seed. Planes were the only way to reach some of these rugged slopes. Fortunately, we got some rain this summer and the range recovered well." "The habitat enhancements have also helped numerous other species including fish, birds and small mammals," said Hanberg. "The reseeding efforts have helped stabilize the soils, keeping it from eroding erod-ing and filling the Green River with sediment. A ponderosa-pinyon-juniper thinning project proj-ect on Bare Top this summer has reopened over 1100 acres of grasslands and sagebrush steppe. We've seen antelope and several sage grouse broods using those areas this summer. Elk use has also increased, especially in the Mustang Burn area where the elk are keying into the new forage created by the reseeding projects." Habitat enhancement wasn't the only work necessary for the reintroduction. Releases of bighorn sheep and other animals need to be approved through the public process. "Before the bighorns were released we (UDWR) developed a state-wide management plan," said Jim Karpowitz, UDWR big game coordinator "It is a public process involving a considerable con-siderable amount of input. The final two steps were to present the plan in a series of public meetings. The five Regional Advisory Councils (consisting of members of the local communities) com-munities) reviewed the plans and gave their recommendation, recommenda-tion, then the Utah Wildlife Board (members appointed by the Governor) gave the final approval.". So what's Greenwood doing now? Monitoring his herds and waiting for another phone call - "make arrangements, you're going to get bighorns!" NEVEE FAY FOR CELLULAR OVERAGE CHARGES AGAIN $99." 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