While Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep populations face significant threats, wildlife conservation organizations are working to ensure the sustainability of this iconic species.
To bring the public’s attention to the issues, the National Wildlife Federation, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society and the Wild Sheep Foundation are the major sponsors of a “Bighorn Celebration” in Durango on Tuesday, November 7.
Additional sponsors include Mountain Studies Institute, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Great Old Broads for Wilderness and San Juan Citizens Alliance.
The event will feature state and national experts who will explain the issues facing bighorns, their current status, and what can be done to protect and bolster populations. Organizers will be announcing important new programs and successes that are aiding bighorn conservation.
Two short films will also be shown. One, from the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia, explains how biologists in that Canadian province are working to address disease transmission issues that can devastate bighorn populations. The second, from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, highlights the majesty of Colorado’s state mammal.
“Bighorns have roamed Colorado and the West for tens of thousands of years, and they are integral to our mountain landscape,” said Dan Parkinson, a bighorn advocate in Durango and a member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “Numerous conservation organizations are working cooperatively with ranchers and government agencies to ensure that bighorns thrive. But we don’t have any time to waste.”
Concerns about bighorns, however, are not limited to Colorado, explained Bob McCready, Wildlife Conflict Resolution Program Senior Manager for the National Wildlife Foundation.
“Bighorns are in trouble throughout the Rocky Mountain West,” McCready said. “Ensuring the viability of populations in Colorado is critical to our region-wide conservation effort.”
The Bighorn Celebration and fundraiser will take place from 5:30-7:30pm on November 7 at the Double Tree Hotel in Durango, 501 Camino Del Rio.