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Show MAY Bighorns (Continued from page but when the discussion centers Bighorn, he turns up a smile. Wild Sheep sheep are mal. And 11) (FNAWS), they stay put in transplanted terrain, while Rocky Mountain will scatter like the wind.” on “Heck, to the hunting public, wild and Goosecreek Mountain ranges in Utah, featured early 19th Century Bighorn herds. “The sheep were here a long time ago and once domestic livestock habitat and disease problems are resolved, wild sheep numbers are likely to increase, as the public seems to be so supportable of wild sheep existence in the state.” Anasazi State Park Manager Larry Davis recently flew in a chopper over southeastern Escalante terrain and, with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologist Norm McKee, spotDesert Bighorn ted over 70 healthy sheep. Davis noted that as they passed around one knoll, a huge solitary ram came into view. As an archeologist he was reminded that the Anasazi were familiar with these sheep. “In many parts of the Colorado Plateau, the evidence is unmistakable. Thousands of Indian petroglyphs. depict Bighorn sheep Without much political fanfare, McKee exclaims, “We're finally getting Bighorns back where they belong.” He noted that DWR, BLM and the State of Arizona in late 1995 reintroduced 21 Desert Bighorns into the Paria Canyon region east of Kanab. Months later, the National Park Service and DWR transplanted 20 Canyonlands Bighorn into a corner of Capitol Reef National Monument Jim Karpowitz, DWR regional wildlife manager reports these findings: ‘The Capitol Reef transplant brings the total to some 400 Desert sheep that have moved into new Utah sites in the past 15 years. Outside of a handful of animals east of the Colorado, if the state, the Foundation for North American 1996 and others not developed had herds through transplants, the Island in the Sky area of Canyonlands would have been the only significant herd in Utah.” Bighorn — Everyone's Excitement Karpowitz, headquartered in Price, daily deals with nagging public concern over cougar, coyote and bear, dwindling deer herds and elk numbers, the to According number one game anithe non-hunters, they area. IF YOU CAN'T EAT IT... are not good FRAME pioneers IT! the Karpowitz, related impact, transthinning demics. “In the San Juan herd east of the Colorado we nearly lost a whole herd. Plus Washington, Idaho, $1.5 transplants, hunting permits (and in some circumstances bid for moose, antelope photo by Howie Garber Wyoming and Colorado lost a bunch of animals and Montana lost its biggest herd a short while back.” Disease Threatens Bighorn Wildlife officials in Washington, Oregon and Idaho worked for decades to restore Bighorn sheep in the Hells Canyon region. In December of this past year, though, they frantically tried to remove most of the animals after a deadly outbreak of pasteurella, a pneumonia-like epidemic. They caught and transported over 70 sick sheep to wildlife labs and then saw all but 20 die. Some biologists suggest the stress of being snared and transported killed the animals, others claimed domestic sheep were the culprit. On the neighboring Hells Canyon National Recreation area, dead bighorns showed signs of getting the - disease from a feral goat. The controversy in Hells Canyon puts adjoining domestic sheep allot- and goat permits) in 15 different states. In Utah, $72,000 was bid on a Rocky Mountain Bighorn and $41,000 on a Desert Sheep. Ninety percent of all bid money, according to FNAWS, goes wildlife agencies directly to state and/or to state sanctioned sheep conservation efforts, while the other 10 percent goes to FNAWS. FNAWS'’s ‘95 national conservation project funding totaled $308,794 with $20,000 of that going toward a Utah domestic sheep grazing rights purchase in the San Rafael, and to a sheep-tocattle conversion purchase in Floy Creek east of Green River — both efforts eliminating domestic sheep from transplanted or migrating bighorn terrain. In an October ‘95 report to Utah’s DWR, the Utah Chapter of FNAWS headed by Lee Howard, Don Peay and Fred Morris reported that “Since 1980, Bighorn sheep permits (high bid, auction and conservation) have generated $523,057 to DWR for bighorn management programs. Chapter’s most recent sheep The Utah newsletter reports that over $1 million has been raised through UFNAWS efforts and that “all of this money means long-term benefits for wild sheep in Utah and hopefully someday, a Utah sheep hunt for every UFNAWS member!” Although Utah now has over 2,200 wild sheep, the state has habitat for some 20-30,000, Howard said. The Future for Wild Sheep Utah Bighorn trophy hunters annually track down and shoot, by gun or ments in the lurch. Hunting and conservation groups want the domestic sheep out and Forest Service officials -bow, some 3 — 5 percent of the state’s wild sheep population. In the process claim they will close all neighboring allotments in the near future. There is some hope that medicated salt licks spread in the area will slow or halt the the long term vitality of the state’s Bighorn herds. And this major money infusion has a healthy by-product: recognition and promotion of the nonconsumptive values of Bighorn sheep and of the animals authentic merit in epidemic. of losing wild Bighorn herds. So, in an effort to avoid conflicts with domestic sheep, Sie a 649-2155 imports, In 1995 FNAWS members bid over million toward selected wild sheep Utah wildlife officials, along with COR Bighorn habitat rehabilitation and purchase of domestic sheep allotments, primarily comes through the private efforts of the (Utah Chapter) Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (UFNAWS). The organization works closely with state and federal wildlife ees. Forest Service and BLM representatives, don’t wish to repeat the debacle — Utah agencies and with a handful of very dedicated DWR biologists and employ- wild sheep herds are desert dwellers. sheep And the sizes of herds — particularly desert sheep — reduces the likelihood of epi- are usually excited beyond belief when they see a big majestic Desert or Rocky. Folks don’t share this same enthusiasm when they see deer, elk or antelope. The wild sheép are a very watchable wildlife. They were originally much more plentiful than deer or elk and there is widespread support for them.” The biologist feels there is room for natural expansion of Desert Bighorn in the Dirty Devil, Little Rockies, Escalante and Kaiparowits areas, )» There “is space for a lot more Rockies in the Rattlesnake area (north of Green River.) “If possible, we are trying to fill in areas and develop populations of Bighorn around the state,” Karpowitz said. He claims cougar can present a problem for Rocky Mountain Bighorn. ‘Until the sheep get established, cougar mortality can be significant. Bighorn have a hard time in deer areas where there’s lots of brush and cougar. Those two things are hard on the sheep.” The state tried Bighorn sheep in the Nebo and Naomi areas but wasn’t very successful, Karpowitz noted. The herds in the northern Uintas may also have a difficult time from cougar predation until they are established. But the biologist notes there is very little cougar or coyote predation of Desert Bighorn “where habitat areas are open, steep, rocky and free of forest, brush, deer and elk populations.” Karpowitz says that Utah’s biggest “Desert to plants are important to re-populate and seem to be one of the highest interest species in terms of observation. People importation of Northwest and British Columbia Rocky Mountain Bighorn. Money and resources relating to grazing allotments have either they contribute a tidy sum to ensure mountain and desert ecosystems. Interested citizens can involve themselves with FNAWS, State and Federal wildlife officials and with municipal and county governments not been renewed, been bought out or have been converted from sheep to cattle. Utah officials have also cooper- and say yea or nay to more wild sheep in mountain or desert terrain. @ ated in Bighorn sheep disease research efforts. They plan to closely monitor targeted transplants and _ regulate — Stephen W. Lewis is a Salt Lake attorney, outdoor enthusiast and PAGE 12 canyon conservation activist. |