Game and Fish announces meetings on Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep herd management
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, in partnership with the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center and the University of Wyoming’s Ruckleshaus Institute, is announcing a public engagement process to explore management concerns, issues and opportunities for the Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep herd.
Dates have been set for a series of public workshops and a Bighorn Sheep Summit. All those interested in this herd are encouraged to attend the Summit and meet with bighorn sheep specialists from around the country to chart a path forward for this iconic bighorn sheep herd.
The Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep herd has struggled to recover from a catastrophic all-age die-off caused by pneumonia in 1991 causing an estimated 30 percent decline in the number of sheep. The herd continues to stay below the desired population size primarily because lamb survival is very low likely due to the persistence of lamb pneumonia. At one time, there were an estimated 2,500 sheep in this population; today there are about 750.
“The bottom-line is, we simply don't have all the answers about how to turn this important bighorn sheep population around,” said Daryl Lutz, Lander’s wildlife management coordinator. “There is much to be learned about how to best address this decline and perhaps implement management strategies and projects to attempt to reverse this trend. To do this, it is clear we must consider a different approach.”
All collaborative workshops will be held in Dubois at the Headwaters Arts and Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker Street, from 6-9 p.m. each of the following evenings:
More information, including the completed situation assessment, can be found at wgfd.wyo.gov/wmbhs. For questions, please contact Daryl Lutz at (307) 335-2616.
Dates have been set for a series of public workshops and a Bighorn Sheep Summit. All those interested in this herd are encouraged to attend the Summit and meet with bighorn sheep specialists from around the country to chart a path forward for this iconic bighorn sheep herd.
The Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep herd has struggled to recover from a catastrophic all-age die-off caused by pneumonia in 1991 causing an estimated 30 percent decline in the number of sheep. The herd continues to stay below the desired population size primarily because lamb survival is very low likely due to the persistence of lamb pneumonia. At one time, there were an estimated 2,500 sheep in this population; today there are about 750.
“The bottom-line is, we simply don't have all the answers about how to turn this important bighorn sheep population around,” said Daryl Lutz, Lander’s wildlife management coordinator. “There is much to be learned about how to best address this decline and perhaps implement management strategies and projects to attempt to reverse this trend. To do this, it is clear we must consider a different approach.”
All collaborative workshops will be held in Dubois at the Headwaters Arts and Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker Street, from 6-9 p.m. each of the following evenings:
| Date | Purpose/ Content |
| Feb. 11, 2019 | Public workshop to summarize the situation assessment and exploration of issues. |
| March 14, 2019 | Bighorn Sheep Summit - discussion with “outside” experts about technical and scientific information regarding disease, predation, habitat and other aspects of this bighorn sheep herd. |
| April 3, 2019 | Public workshop to craft solutions to improve herd conditions. |
| June 5, 2019 | Public workshop to present draft strategy for public input, discussion, and refinement. |
More information, including the completed situation assessment, can be found at wgfd.wyo.gov/wmbhs. For questions, please contact Daryl Lutz at (307) 335-2616.
Rene Schell - (307) 335-2630
