November 2025

Fall Fundraiser a Sold Out Success!

Bighorn Institute’s 38^th Annual Party and Golf Classic took place at Stone Eagle on November 16^th & 17^th and was a sold out success! Sunday’s Annual Party turned out to be an incredible evening despite the threats of rain. The filet and Chilean sea bass dinner was delectable, friendship plentiful and the auctions lively and profitable!  Monday, Dave and Ronnie Stockton gave a clinic before sending the golfers out on the course, all of whom seemed to enjoy their day.  Congratulations to this year’s winners:  Iain Foshay, Evan Kehoe, Guido Knudson, and Jeff Rauh.

Thank you to all of the participants, golf pros, donors, and volunteers who helped make this year’s fundraiser amazing!  A special thanks to Stone Eagle Golf Club for having us, Patrick Evans for emceeing the Annual Party and Dave Stockton for hosting the tournament.

Catching up with Captured Sheep

Last month, we told you about the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) capturing and collaring 28 sheep in our study area (three herds) from Palm Springs to La Quinta.  We now track over 70 radio-collared bighorn, which is no easy feat.  We’ve been trying to see these new sheep to determine how they’re doing post-capture and have been able to observe most of them in the San Jacinto and northern Santa Rosa Mountains.  With our fundraiser this month, it didn’t leave a lot of time for fieldwork so we’ve been doing what we can and will hit it hard in December.  The good news is, the newly collared sheep look healthy and have rejoined their herd-mates.  Here are a couple of these newly marked ewes. 

Member Hike

It’s that time of the year again!  Grab your hiking boots and binoculars and come out hiking with us to look for sheep!  Our November hike was a great success; we saw 24 sheep! The next hike will be Tuesday, December 16^th.  Remember that space is limited, no dogs, and you must RSVP for this first come first served hike. To sign up or for more information, please call us at 760-346-7334 or email us at bi@bighorninstitute.org.

*Click link to watch video

Rain

After starting out with a pretty dry year, we’ve finally received some good rain back-to-back and the mountains are greening up beautifully for the sheep. We received a little over an inch of rain in November and hope to get more winter rain.  The sheep seem to be loving this new growth and we’re thrilled that food is plentiful for them now, especially as many of the ewes are in the final stages of pregnancy and could give birth in the next couple of months.

 

* A ram eats new grass in the mountains

Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage will have their annual Tree Lighting ceremony on Thursday, December 4^th from 5:30pm to 7pm on the Springs Lawn and they’ve invited the Institute as their Community Footprints partner.  Come join us for this free event to kick off the Christmas season.  There will be local carolers performing, a surprise guest appearance, and light refreshments with beautiful Christmas lights and décor. It is a free event open to the local community, but you must RSVP.  Here is the link to RSVP: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/pspps-the-ritz-carlton-rancho-mirage/experiences/holidays/

In Need of a Christmas Gift?

Need a special gift for the person who has everything?  Here are some ideas and the best part is that the proceeds go directly to helping the endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep!  It truly is a gift that keeps on giving.  So, if you have been racking your brain, trying to think of something truly unique and memorable to get your loved one this Christmas, look no further, we’ve got you covered J:

1. Give a gift membership to the Institute – memberships start at just $25/year, are tax-deductible & they can join our member hikes!

2. Adopt a Bighorn – $100 for a lamb, $150 for a ewe or ram: www.bighorninstitute.org/adopt-a-bighorn  

3. Feed the captive herd for a week - $150 (donation only-not actual feeding)

4. Help track radio-collared bighorn for a month - $500 (donation only – not actual monitoring)

To donate, please visit our website www.BighornInstitute.org, email (bi@bighorninstitute.org) or call us at 760-346-7334.

Year-End Gift

It’s time once again to think about a year-end gift.  Would you consider supporting the sheep and Bighorn Institute’s research and conservation efforts?  Donating is easy, just click to donate online, mail us a check, or you can give a retirement contribution through your wealth management company.  Our tax ID number is 95-3700081. Bighorn Institute is privately-funded and we keep our expenses as low as possible so that your generous gift goes to Peninsular bighorn sheep conservation.  Thank you!