Takeaways from the 2021 Bighorn Sheep Monitoring Report with Artemis Eyster
What should you do when you see one of these elusive and renowned animals?
Photo by George Jones
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, the highly valued and iconic state animal of Colorado, are at risk of developing a respiratory disease contracted from domestic sheep. Bighorn sheeps’ dramatic history includes reaching near extinction and making a remarkable recovery with the help of conservation efforts. Sadly, this beloved species still faces many threats, including the risk of developing diseases contracted from domestic sheep. The best current management solution for preventing or minimizing disease transmission is the effective separation of domestic sheep and goats from wild sheep. Citizen scientists help the Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) fill a stated data gap by documenting incidents of potential contact between the species. Data collection may include the presence of bighorns near domestic sheep grazing allotments or stray domestic sheep that may be near bighorns.
The Colorado Bighorn Sheep Monitoring Program started in 2018 and is a coordinated effort between MSI, agency partners, and nonprofits. Every year, we compile a report of the citizen science data to share. MSI and our partners recently completed the 2021 Annual Bighorn Sheep Report, and we are excited to share our findings with you. We sat down with Artemis Eyster from our Community Science team to discuss the results of the 2021 Bighorn Sheep report and its implications for the ongoing citizen science efforts.
Can you summarize the findings of the 2021 report for us?
Our report covers bighorn sheep observations in Southwest Colorado, south of Ridgeway and west of Del Norte. The main highlight of this year’s report is that compared to past reports, we took the time to identify significant observations. We define a significant observation as one that notes bighorn sheep on or near domestic sheep grazing allotment, domestic sheep on a known bighorn sheep range, or noteworthy comments including interactions between the species. This report highlights twenty significant observations in Southwest Colorado. These significant observations are featured in the report and help us narrow in from eighty total observations in 2021. One of our main takeaways from all the reports, in general, is that citizen science efforts have proven to be a useful tool in gathering important information on interactions between domestic and bighorn sheep. The gathered data supports that there are confirmed interactions between them, and we can use this to argue that citizen science is useful and a valuable tool in bighorn sheep management.
Why is this data important? What does it tell us about the current state of bighorn sheep in Southwest Colorado?
“Bighorn sheep are historically very abundant in the west, including Colorado, and they’ve long been considered a very iconic species.”
It’s helpful because it tells us bighorn sheep do indeed spend time on active grazing allotments. It’s not about how many bighorns there are, but where they are. This program has continued to affirm bighorns are visiting domestic allotments, which is significant because domestic sheep can transfer disease to bighorns. Many of these diseases are not serious for domestic sheep but are very serious if bighorn contract them. They can cause bighorn sheep populations to shift dramatically, not only because the diseases can be fatal to adults, but because they can also cause bighorn offspring to die in lamb hood, which drastically shifts the population because new animals are not getting added to population as they normally would. Because of this, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will cull individual bighorns who foray off their range and get close to domestic sheep, to prevent those individuals from bringing disease back to their home herd. When citizens see those bighorns approaching domestic sheep or present on a grazing allotment, they can help CPW by calling and reporting sightings, so part of our program is providing those numbers and procedures to the public.
What is the significance of bighorn sheep in our region?
Bighorn sheep are historically very abundant in the west, including Colorado, and they’ve long been considered a very iconic species that outdoor enthusiasts enjoy watching, as well as being valued by hunters as a game species. This region is part of their historic range, and in some areas, they were the predominant ungulate in the area. On the CPW State of Colorado Action Plan, bighorn sheep are designated as a species of greatest conservation need.
How do you hope this information is used?
Photo by Steve Adams
Our main audience for the report is agency partners and government officials such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife - anyone involved in making decisions about how our public land is used. They must make decisions on what grazing allotments are actively used and can influence timing of when domestic sheep go onto the allotment. As they are making decisions about grazing allotments, we want them to consider this information. We also compile the report for people who have been involved as volunteers so they can see the results of their data collection. Citizen science helps people to learn about wild sheep populations and engages them in helping preserve these populations now and in the future.
“The more people who are aware of and part of this citizen science program, the more information we can share with agencies making decisions about our public lands. ”
How can community members get involved?
A great way to start is to go to MSI’s website and check out the training video! It’s as easy as creating a free iNaturalist account, downloading the app, and taking a picture of any bighorn sheep you see when out recreating, particularly in the high country. You can note the time and location of the sighting and easily upload to iNaturalist.
Bighorn sheep sightings are not an everyday occurrence, and we want you to know what to do when it happens to you! If you are the lucky one who sees a bighorn, please be sure to include geotags, time, etc. The more people who are aware of and part of this citizen science program, the more information we can share with agencies making decisions about our public lands.
For specific questions about this year’s report, contact Artemis Eyster (artemis@mountainstudies.org) or Jeremy May (jeremy@mountainstudies.org.) You are also invited to join MSI and Great Old Broads for Wilderness on March 14, 2022, at 1 pm at the GOB monthly meeting on Zoom. Register by Sunday, March 13, 2022, for the meeting using this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Join us this year as a bighorn volunteer!
To view instructions on how to get involved, visit our website here. You can also read the full 2021 Bighorn Sheep Monitoring Report here.
