Conservation Programs
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS HOME | GRANT-IN-AID | TRAP & TRANSPLANT | HABITAT | DISEASE & SEPARATION | WAFWA | FERAL HORSES & BURROS | INTERNATIONAL
THE WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION’S PURPOSE IS TO “PUT AND KEEP WILD SHEEP ON THE MOUNTAIN®.” ONE OF THE WAYS WE ACCOMPLISH THIS IS TO RAISE FUNDS AND DIRECT THIS MONEY TO STATE, PROVINCIAL, TERRITORIAL, AND TRIBAL/FIRST NATION WILDLIFE AGENCIES TO HELP FINANCE THEIR WILD SHEEP CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS.
Unlike mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and other big game species, the sale of wild sheep licenses does not generate nearly enough revenue for these agencies to have a comprehensive wild sheep management programs. Consequently, wild sheep were not an agency priority in many western states during the 1960s and ‘70s. Sadly, bighorn sheep in North America hit their all-time lows in the 1950s at only 25,000 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Today, the bighorn sheep population has grown to more than 90,000. Dall’s sheep and Stone’s sheep (commonly referred to as thinhorn sheep) populations are currently estimated at 100,000, but precise population estimates are difficult due to the vastness of thinhorn sheep range, and difficulty/cost of completing comprehensive surveys.
Click to download PDF. |
WSF directs its annual funding to areas of greatest need, which is guided by our Conservation Vision 2025. WSF raises funding through a number of sources, and directs our mission funding through various conservation programs, including our Grant-In-Aid program.
Collectively, our Conservation Programs focus on these actions to maintain and enhance wild sheep populations:
- Trap & Transplant
- Habitat Enhancement & Acquisition
- Separation Strategies between Wild and Domestic Sheep/Goats
- Disease Research & Surveillance
Bighorn Sheep Historic Distribution
In his classic monograph “The Bighorn Sheep in the United States, Its Past, Present, and Future”, Helmut K. Buechner included a map (circa 1850) depicting approximate bighorn sheep distribution prior to European settlement of the West.
Click to download PDF of historic distribution. |
Bighorn distribution was dramatically reduced between 1850 – 1960, but through collaborative efforts between conservation organizations such as the Wild Sheep Foundation and our network of Chapters and Affiliates, state, provincial, and tribal/First Nation fish and game departments, public and Crown land-management agencies, private landowners, and other supporters, North American bighorn distribution has greatly increased over the past ~60 years. Commensurate with increased distribution, in that six-decade time period, North American bighorn sheep population estimates have more than tripled from fewer than 25,000 to currently more than 90,000.
