By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
At the end of January, 25 big horn sheep were released
in the Mona/Nephi area at the mouth of Willow Creek
Canyon.
20 big horn sheep were released in American Fork
Canyon, 10 were then released in Rock Canyon Park above
Provo and the last 25 were set free in the Mona/Nephi area
near the mouth of Willow Creek Canyon.
They arrived from Montana and now they are ready to
make a new home high above the hills of Central Utah.
"We are hoping to build to 200 sheep," said John
Fairchild, Regional Supervisor for the Division of Wildlife
Resources for the Central Region.
At one point, it looked as if Rocky Mountain big horn
sheep might only be seen in Utah's history books. But thanks
to trades with and purchases from other states, the animals
can now be found in their historic habitat in the Utah
wild.
"Most of the ewes we released were pregnant so we will
be getting nearly double what we released&emdash;double our
money," said Fairchild.
Hopefully, those released will have lambs and, if the
program is lucky, some may even be twins.
When the pioneers first entered the state, there were
more big horn sheep than any other big game animal. Because
of predators, diseases and disease from domestic sheep the
herd was lost.
"No domestic sheep will be allowed since they carry
Working with Utah's sportsman groups, enough money was
raised to buy 55 sheep from Big Sky Country.
Bacteria can make or break efforts to restore bighorn
sheep to historic ranges in the West.
"We did find a domestic ewe hanging out with a ram,"
said Fairchild. "That occurred in this area."
The plan was to capture both of those animals, but it
failed and only the domestic animal was taken. However, the
ram has survived past the point where he might have died had
he been infected.
"It is really important to keep domestic sheep
isolated from the big horns," he said.
In the case of bighorn sheep, pneumonia epidemics
sweep through herds. Pasturella bacteria cause most
outbreaks. In some cases, researchers report outbreaks
killed 75 percent of herds.
Domestic sheep are usually blamed for introducing
deadly microbes to the bighorns. Sometimes wild sheep can be
infected by other bighorns introduced from other herds.
Mount Nebo was the second place the Utah Division of
Wildlife Resources tried to reintroduce Rocky Mountain
bighorn sheep.
In 1981, 27 bighorns were released and 21 more in
1982. By 1983, the herd was estimated at 55 head. It is
generally agreed that the 1983-84 winter decimated the herd.
In 1987, the herd was estimated at 12 to 15 animals and by
1994 it was down to 10.
"They had some tough winters," said Fairchild.
Hard winters, disease and predation were all listed as
causes for the decline in numbers.
Jan 20, 2005, 18 sheep were released on Nebo in a
second attempt to re-establish the animals.
"We had a much better go around this last time,"
Fairchild said.
The habitat for bighorn sheep in the Nebo Unit of the
Uinta National Forest has greatly improved since the 2001
Birch and Mollie fires. Bighorn sheep are indigenous to the
area, and the Forest Service supports the DWR in its efforts
to return bighorn sheep to the Nebo Unit.
In addition to the extensive wildfires, natural
succession has resulted in more grass and less shrubs on the
west side of the mountain, creating better bighorn habitat.
Harvest of cougars has been accelerated in preparation for
the transplant.
"We did lose one bighorn to a cougar in American Fork
Canyon the first day the bighorn were planted," said
Fairchild.
One change which should help this time around is the
livestock grazing system.
The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep has
assisted the partnership in creating an environment with
less competition and chances for acquiring an exotic
disease
"Mount Nebo has been free of domestic sheep grazing
now for a couple of years," said Fairchild.
Future habitat enhancements are planned as part of the
DWR's Habitat Initiative, which involves partnerships with
other land management agencies, agriculture and private
organizations,
Some of the 55 sheep released at the three locations
received radio collars to track their travels. The cost, at
$300 a piece, is too great to equip all of the animals with
a transmitter. But since sheep live and travel in groups, a
few collars are expected to be a great help in keeping track
of the new plants.
Utah will be getting 20 more big horn sheep from
Colorado in the next couple of weeks as part of the moose
trade that happened earlier this month.
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