September 2017
2017 Annual Party & 30th Golf Classic
Invitations have been mailed and we’re getting excited for our 2017 Annual Party & 30th Golf Classic November 19th & 20th! Our event takes place at the amazing Stone Eagle and there are many ways to get involved and help support the sheep. If you don’t golf, join us for the Annual Party or if you like the links, enjoy the party and golf! Dave Stockton and fellow pros provide a clinic following play and you’re sure to improve your golf game. Can’t come? You can still be an event sponsor! We have sponsor levels of silver, gold and platinum, but honestly, any donation is helpful! If these options don’t suit you, maybe you’d like to provide us with an auction item. We sincerely appreciate your support because YOU make a difference! All event proceeds go toward our conservation efforts for the endangered Peninsular bighorn! For more information, call the office 760-346-7334 or visit our website: https://www.bighorninstitute.org/fundraisers.
Hay Day
Bighorn Institute has had a captive herd since 1984 and the current pen enclosures since 1985. These enclosures are actually a 30 acre and a 7 acre hill, both of which have housed a number of heavily-browsing bighorn over the years. To keep the native vegetation from being overgrazed, we supplement the captive bighorn herd’s diet with alfalfa. Eating native vegetation helps to ensure a smooth digestive transition when captive bighorn are released into the wild. For disease prevention, we get our hay from a farm that has no affiliation or contact with domestic sheep, goats, or cattle. We usually have the hay delivered, but in our efforts to conserve our dwindling summer funds, we picked up, loaded and unloaded nearly 80 bales of alfalfa ourselves, with the help of our volunteer, Dan. Thank you, Dan, for your great help and muscle and thanks to all of our members for your support so we can properly care for the captive herd!
OLLI Class
Join us for our Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) class on Bighorn Sheep in the Coachella Valley on Friday, October 27th from 10-11:30 am at the California State University San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus. OLLI courses provide continued learning opportunities for those over 50. For more information and to register for this FREE class, visit this website: http://www.campusce.net/csusbolli/course/course.aspx?C=16&pc=5&mc=8&sc=0 We hope to see you there!
Trails Open October 1st
September 30th marks the end of the hot season trail closures so the few trails that were closed will now be open through December, including Dead Indian Canyon, and Carrizo and Magnesia Ecological Reserves. The fall is a great time to get out and explore our beautiful desert; if you’re lucky, you might see a bighorn sheep. They blend in incredibly well, so look for their white rump patch or movement among the rocks. They have eyesight equivalent to 8-10x binoculars so they usually see you before you see them, IF you see them! If you do see sheep, please help us out and log your sightings in Bighorn Institute’s project in iNaturalist (it’s free!). It helps us keep track of the herd and lets others know where the sheep are! Click on the flyer for details.
Member Hikes Are Back!
It’s been a long, hot summer (apparently, the hottest on record here), but our member hiking hiatus is over so come look for sheep with us! Our first Member Hike of the season will be in newly reopened Carrizo and Dead Indian Canyons Monday, October 9th at 8:00am. We would love to have you join us, but 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.
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