After an exceptional career as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service, including the past 18 years as the USFS national wild sheep biologist/technical coordinator, the Kevin Hurley family of Cody, Wyoming and the Wild Sheep Foundation recognized Tim Schommer as the 2010 recipient of the WSF Wild Sheep Biologist’s Wall of Fame Award.

Inaugurated in 2007 by Kevin, Gretchen, and Kyle Hurley, this WSF award is intended to recognize and acknowledge the efforts of wild sheep biologists who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and achieved major accomplishments, working for wild sheep population/habitat management and working for wild sheep hunting opportunities.  

In addition to his duties as Forest Wildlife Biologist on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in NE Oregon, Tim has been deeply involved in the restoration and monitoring of bighorn sheep in the tri-state region of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho through the Hell’s Canyon Initiative. Corollary to this effort, Tim served on the technical committee to guide Pasteurella/Mannheimia bacterial research at Washington State University.  

Tim is best known for his efforts on the controversial issue of bighorn sheep/domestic sheep interaction and potential disease transmission. For the past 18 years, Tim has worked throughout the west with Forest Supervisors, District Rangers, Wildlife Biologists, Range Managers, and other USFS personnel, to develop and implement best management practices to reduce contact between bighorns and domestic sheep and goats. These efforts required close working relationships with state fish and game agencies, domestic sheep grazing permittees and woolgrower organizations, wild sheep conservation NGOs (e.g., Wild Sheep Foundation, OR, ID, and WA FNAWS chapters), tribal fish and wildlife managers, state legislators and Congressional staffers, and many diverse interests. In September 2008, Tim and Ms. Melanie Woolever (USFS “Full Curl” program lead) updated and published a review of the Disease Related Conflicts between Domestic Sheep and Goats and Bighorn Sheep; this literature review was recently recalled due to an unrelated court ruling, but efforts are underway to revise, update, and publish this important document, yet again. In a lead role, Tim has worked with multiple national forests across the west to address issues involving potential contact between domestic sheep and goats with bighorn sheep, management of domestic goats for recreational packing and weed control, habitat assessments and enhancements, bighorn sheep minimum viability assessments and population recovery plans, forest planning to include bighorn sheep needs, research proposals, and a variety of modeling and risk assessment efforts.

Tim has been an active member of the Wild Sheep Foundation, its Oregon, Washington, and Idaho Chapters, and is respected internationally by wildlife professionals and wild sheep advocates alike. Tim has spent much of his career and his adult life, both on-the-job and with his personal time, working for, and with, wild sheep and wild sheep hunters. Tim officially retired from the USFS at the end of 2009, but those who know him are certain that he will never quit working for the betterment of wild sheep.   

In a heartfelt tribute to Tim from his long-time USFS supervisor Bob Rock of the WWNF in Baker City, OR, it was stated:    
“The following are words I believe Tim has followed throughout his career. ‘The highest courage is to dare oneself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity.’ Tim has always traveled the path of integrity without looking back, for he has always done the right thing.”

Tim Schommer was recognized for his career work for wild sheep and wild sheep hunters on Wednesday evening, February 3, 2010 during the Wild Sheep Foundation 2010 Annual Convention’s Opening Ceremonies/Exhibitor Welcome Banquet in Reno, NV.

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