Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation Efforts
The Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation is true to its mission of, “Putting and keeping sheep on the mountain.” Our team of volunteers is dedicated not only to raising the funding necessary to accomplish this, but has actually implemented projects that have increased bighorn sheep numbers. Our members also donate their time on the ground to restoring and enhancing wild sheep populations in Idaho. We frequently issue appeals to our members to participate in hands-on projects that include population surveys to count sheep and lambs in the field, preparation of kits including data cards, radio collars, nasal swabs and syringes for use in capture operations, and assistance to Fish and Game biologists during the capture and collaring of wild sheep on location in the Idaho hills.
Many threats face our bighorn sheep, but the main factor that keeps their populations struggling is the respiratory disease affecting adults and lambs alike. Wild sheep would be nearly as abundant as deer and elk except for a pneumonia-like malady that causes all-age die-offs and often requires decades from which to recover. The microbes responsible are known and the main culprit is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, or Movi for short. It is host specific in domestic goats and sheep and is transmitted to wild sheep through direct contact between the species. Currently, there are no vaccines or treatments and based on documented science the Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation advocates separation of domestic goats and sheep from wild sheep to prevent outbreaks.
Understanding the extent of the disease problem is the first step toward mitigating it. Most of our current projects are concerned with understanding the extent to which Movi affects our wild sheep, especially those herds occupying remote range that have been little studied in the past.
Toward that end, we are working with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to implement a statewide action plan to capture, sample and collar wild sheep in six populations across the state. While this is our main focus, other threats to wild sheep are not being ignored. We are also interested the potential effects of mountain lion predation on bighorn sheep, especially in the Owyhee’s where there is evidence it might be a problem.
To learn more about specific projects follow the links below, and keep your eyes open for your own opportunities to help us recover Idaho’s wild sheep, whether it be assisting with your time, talents or treasure. Working together we can and must put more bighorn sheep on the mountain.
Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation in the Owyhee Front and Jack’s Creek
The remote wild lands of southwest Idaho are intersected by deep, vertical canyons that are the home of the California bighorn sheep. After being extirpated here in the early 1900s wild sheep were reintroduced in the 1960s by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The remote wild lands of southwest Idaho are a place of lonely high deserts and of heat, cold and wind. They are intersected by deep, vertical canyons that are the home of the California bighorn sheep. After being extirpated here in the early 1900s wild sheep were reintroduced in the 1960s by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. That restoration was successful and it provided great sheep hunting opportunities for years, not to mention surplus animals translocated to restore other populations. The population grew through the mid-1990s, but has been in decline since and is now only half what it was 20 years ago.
The reason or reasons are unknown, but sheep on the Oregon side of the border are suffering a pneumonia outbreak and wild sheep do not respect state lines. Excessive rates of lion predation are also suspected, although this has not been rigorously documented. In December 2022, 13 rams and ewes were collared in the Owyhee Front, and 27 in Jacks Creek, to document their seasonal movements, measure cause-specific mortality and to check disease status.
The information gained will guide future management decisions. Funding was supplied through grants from Idaho, Oregon and Nevada Wild Sheep Foundation chapters and a $40,000 Grant in Aid from the national Wild Sheep Foundation. Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation donated $39,000 to the benefit of the California bighorn sheep of the Owyhee Front and Jack’s Creek.
Importantly, the ION partnership, founded in March 2022, has established a venue for the Idaho, Oregon and Nevada Wild Sheep Foundation chapters to work in collaboration with our respective state wildlife management agencies and federal land managers to benefit these California bighorns that range across multiple jurisdictions. The partnership facilitates communication, brainstorms ideas and coordinates action on the ground in wild sheep country.
Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation on the Lower Panther Creek/Main Salmon River
In March 2022, 62 bighorn sheep ewes and rams were collared along the Main Salmon, ranging from Shoup, downstream past Panther Creek and west to the border of the Frank Church River of No Return wilderness area. Sheep were captured by helicopter net gun and flown to staging areas for their work-up, providing opportunity for ID WSF volunteers to participate.
ID WSF: $6K
WSF GIA: $25K
Midwest WSF: $9K
IDFG: $30K
It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of the wild sheep of central Idaho to bighorn conservation. Ranging in the hills above the mighty main Salmon, the lower Panther Creek/main Salmon sheep are unique in that they are a genetically discrete, native population that was not extirpated during settlement times. Due to the remoteness of their ranges they have been little studied. Only since our work began have we even had realistic population estimates and they have not previously been surveyed for Movi prevalence.
In March 2022, 62 bighorn sheep ewes and rams were collared along the Main Salmon, ranging from Shoup, downstream past Panther Creek and west to the border of the Frank Church River of No Return wilderness area. Sheep were captured by helicopter net gun and flown to staging areas for their work-up, providing opportunity for ID WSF volunteers to participate.
The bighorn sheep of the lower Panther Creek/main Salmon River are part of a metapopulation that ranges across much of central Idaho. As such, disease events here can be a risk to half the remaining bighorn sheep in Idaho, and these bighorns are one of the few remaining native populations throughout the species range in North America. These collars will provide habitat use data, movement data and aid in sheep hunt season setting, as well as provide information to land management agencies. At this time, it has not been possible to obtain Forest Service permission to operate inside the wilderness area, resulting in a lack of testing for a substantial part of the population; however, ID WSF is exploring avenues to obtain the necessary permits.
These animals are part of an important proof of concept study to improve the efficiency of clearing Movi from affected herds by test and remove techniques, without the need to capture and test every individual. Since test and remove has been very successful at clearing Movi, thereby increasing lamb recruitment and total population numbers in Hells Canyon; we hope for similar results in central Idaho. Additional follow-up capture work will be necessary to perform repeat Movi testing on previously positive animals.
Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation on the Lower Main Salmon River
Our goals on the lower main Salmon are the same as those for the lower Panther Creek/main Salmon River population: to clear Movi, thus allowing for bighorn sheep populations to increase. The research is expected to result in less invasive techniques to clear Movi from wild sheep herds.
ID WSF: $6K
WSF GIA: $25K
Midwest WSF: $9K
IDFG: $30K
It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of the wild sheep of central Idaho to bighorn conservation. On the west side of the Frank Church River of No Return wilderness are the bighorn sheep of the remote and wild fastness of the lower Salmon River. Like those of the lower Panther Creek/main Salmon River group to the east of the Frank Church, they are part of the metapopulation of natives never extirpated during settlement times. Our goals on the lower main Salmon are the same as those for the lower Panther Creek/main Salmon River population: to clear Movi, thus allowing for bighorn sheep populations to increase.
The research is expected to result in less invasive techniques to clear Movi from wild sheep herds. There was a capture event in 2021 that included volunteers, in which jet boat access was used to capture bighorns. Additional capture work will be necessary to perform repeat Movi testing on previously positive animals, but the 2022 capture was precluded by colder than normal winter weather.
The lower main Salmon River is a priority location for bighorn sheep Movi clearance because of its connectivity to the bighorn sheep of north Hells Canyon. The Hells Canyon animals are currently Movi-free due to the success of previous test and remove work conducted there by the Idaho Department Fish and Game. The potential for reinfection by carriers from the lower Main Salmon cannot be ignored. The Hells Canyon population has good lamb recruitment and is growing since Movi clearance, and similar results are the goal for the lower main Salmon, and lower Panther Creek/main Salmon populations.
Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation on Jim Sage
The success of Idaho Department of Fish and Game reintroductions in Owyhee County produced surplus sheep which were used to re-establish the current Jim Sage population.
Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation: Hells Canyon Initiative
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game began studying the feasibility of test and remove procedures, in which individual sheep diagnosed as Movi “super shedders” were removed from the population. Currently, 17 of the 19 subpopulations of Idaho’s Hells Canyon bighorn sheep are Movi-free and lamb recruitment has tripled.
ID WSF: $2K (boat charter)
Few seem to know that along Idaho’s western border the Snake River has carved North America’s deepest canyon: Hells Canyon. It’s so big that it contains its own mountains, forests and deserts, and it is home to what became a wild sheep success story. Extirpated by the 1930s, bighorn sheep were reintroduced in the 1980s and the population grew until an all-age disease outbreak killed many in the mid-1990s. Poor lamb recruitment had since characterized the herd and Movi was eventually identified as the culprit. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game began studying the feasibility of test and remove procedures, in which individual sheep diagnosed as Movi “super shedders” were removed from the population. This was amazingly successful.
Currently, 17 of the 19 subpopulations of Idaho’s Hells Canyon bighorn sheep are Movi-free and lamb recruitment has tripled. Today, Hells Canyon is famous for producing some of the most outstanding bighorn sheep trophies in America. The Idaho state record, scoring 208 and 2/8ths, was taken there in 2019. The Hells Canyon Initiative is a collaboration of the Oregon, Washington and Idaho wildlife agencies and the state Wild Sheep Foundation chapters, created to accelerate the restoration of bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon.
In future work, radio collared bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon will continue to be monitored to gain better information on population performance, habitat use, and movements, post Movi clearance. This information will also be used to offer bighorn sheep hunting opportunities. In December of 2022, 15 collars were deployed on adult females, males, and lambs to record changes in habitat use for this healthy, growing population of bighorn sheep. Several ID WSF volunteers assisted in the capture.
Idaho Wild Sheep Conservation: Movi-free Farm Flock Program
Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation, as a member of the Hells Canyon Initiative, is engaged in a program to work with owners of small domestic sheep and goat flocks. The emphasis of this program is to identify small flock owners in or adjacent to bighorn sheep habitat.
ID WSF: $40K
IDFG: $30K
Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation, as a member of the Hells Canyon Initiative is engaged in a program to work with owners of small domestic sheep and goat flocks. The emphasis of this program is to identify small flock owners in or adjacent to bighorn sheep habitat. The Movi issue and the importance of avoiding direct contact between their stock and wild sheep is explained to these owners. Trained personal are hired to sample domestic sheep and goats for operators that chose to participate in the program. The goals are to educate and gain support from small flock owners, and to minimize the chances for direct contact of domestic sheep and goats with bighorn sheep.
This program was initiated in the Hells Canyon complex through the Asotin County Conservation District and is jointly funded by the three state wildlife management agencies, plus the three state chapters of the Wild Sheep Foundation. It was later expanded to the Salmon/Challis/Mackay area funded through an Idaho Fish and Game Commission Challenge Grant, with matching funding from ID WSF.
Reaction and acceptance to this program has been mixed, but mostly positive. Many operators were not aware of the problem and are willing to cooperate. By working through personal contacts, county extension agents and social media we are hopeful engagement in the program will continue to increase. The ID WSF has committed $40,000 dollars to the Farm Flock Program.
Additional Projects
test and capture
2022, 2023
$6,012.50
Volunteers helped prepare collars kits for capture and test efforts.
2022
$1,590.00 funding
Chartered jetboat and provided volunteers for capture and test in Hells Canyon.
2022
$5,000 funding
Main Salmon River and Lower Panther Creek test and capture. Chartered jetboat and provided volunteers. Produced Team Bighorn Video.
2021
$4,489.00 funding
Lower Salmon (above Riggins) jetboat capture and test.
improve bighorn habitat
2022
$10,000 funding
Washington WSF fencing project.
2021
$20,000.00 funding
Transport water to Nevada wildlife guzzlers.
2007, 2014
Idaho Guzzler Project
Volunteers
preserve bighorn habitat
Various
$49,500
Purchase easements and partner to purchase land critical to bighorn sheep.
Disease Research & Public Education
2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
$94,136.00 funding
Sheep capture-test-cull on Movi efforts in Hells Canyon.
2022
$12,617.96 funding
Small Flock Program to establish Movi-free flocks & small domestic sheep flock education
2008 – ongoing
$28,000.00 funding
Contributions to State Universities, labs and doctors for disease research.
public education
2021
$750 funding
Sponsored member to attend hunting workshop for women.
2008
$35,143.34
Challis bighorn viewing station.
bighorn survey assistance
2023
Lower Owyhee Survey
Funding through WSF grant in aid through ION project.
Lamb survey assistance.
2007, 2009, 2015
$4,360.35 funding
Bighorn survey assistance for lamb survival study.
reduce risk of contact
Various
$179,167.00 funding
Helped to purchase and/or convert domestic sheep grazing allotments to cattle.