Late Lamb In early June, we saw a 3 week old lamb that had been born in mid-May. This little one certainly stuck out among the larger 4 and 5 month old lambs in the group, but she looked healthy and, of course, adorable. She was born to an identifiable unmarked ewe that we haven’t seen with a lamb before so it was exciting to see she had given birth, albeit late. We’re hopeful that this ewe will stay with radio-collared sheep so we can keep track of this lamb and see if sh

The Peninsular desert bighorn is truly a remarkable animal. From the massive curl of a ram’s horns to their agility in steep rocky terrain, they create a sense of awe. But of all their unique characteristics, the ability to survive in the desert’s harsh environment may be the most fascinating. Over the centuries, bighorn sheep have evolved special adaptations in order to endure the demanding conditions of the desert. Both physical and physiological (organs, tissue, etc.) s

Construction for a fence is still in the planning stages around the golf courses in La Quinta to remove the sheep from the urban environment. A joint letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife was sent to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC) and the City of La Quinta in February 2014 notifying them that bighorn sheep have been regularly utilizing the La Quinta golf courses as an artificial food and water sourc

There’s good and bad news for the local herds. The good news is, the San Jacinto Mountains herd near Palm Springs increased slightly and there are now approximately 75 adult bighorn in this herd. The bad news is, the northern Santa Rosa Mountains saw around a 20% decrease in the population. There are also around 75 adult bighorn in this herd. The La Quinta herd is presumed to be stable at around 120, per the CA Fish & Wildlife helicopter survey in 2016. We can only track