August 2023

Save the Date: Fall Fundraiser

Just a reminder that our 2023 Annual Party and Golf Classic will take place Sunday and Monday, November 19th and 20th at Stone Eagle Golf Club! This is the Institute’s primary fundraiser and is an event you don’t want to miss so mark your calendars and tell your friends! The Annual Party takes place Sunday evening and the Golf Classic is on Monday. All proceeds benefit the endangered Peninsular bighorn.

Tropical Storm Tromps the Desert

For the first time ever, southern California endured a tropical storm and it was a doozy! Tropical Storm Hilary dropped 3.7” of rain in 24 hours at the Institute. This is a year’s worth of rain for our desert. We were luckier than most with minimal damage to our property and office and mighty grateful to be spared. The sheep seek higher ground in the backcountry when storms roll through and are now enjoying the benefits of plentiful water in late August and a unique late-summer green-up. This incredible rain event brings our total to just over 6.5” at the Institute so far this year, which is the most we’ve had in 4 years. It will be interesting to see if the sheep move around more now that they have resources available in parts of the range they typically don’t this time of year. We’ll let you know!

*A ram drinks from running water in a canyon bottom after the storm

Magnesia Pond Buried

One of the man-made water sources in the northern Santa Rosa Mountains near Rancho Mirage, Magnesia Pond, was buried in sand as a result of Tropical Storm Hilary. Magnesia Pond is a vital water source for the sheep and other native wildlife. Two days after the storm, we were busy checking the Rancho Mirage sheep fence for damage, making repairs and continuing to fix issues on our property when Sensei Porcupine Creek notified us that they had checked the pond for which they provide water and it was completely buried, but they would dig it out! We were relieved and thrilled to have Sensei clear it out and restore the water within days! We’re so grateful to the incredible team at Sensei Porcupine Creek; thanks for your continued strong support and for taking care of the sheep!

*Left photo, pond buried (credit: Sensei), right photo, pond cleared

Palm Springs Ram in Rancho Mirage

The rut, or breeding season, is in full-swing and this year has already had something amazing happen! A collared ram that usually resides in the San Jacinto Mountains near Palm Springs, traveled to the northern Santa Rosa Mountains near Rancho Mirage in early August and at the time of writing this, was still there with other sheep. He’s been moving around to different canyons learning the area, knowledge he can share with other sheep if they come with him in the future. Meanwhile, his being in the NSRM during the breeding season has great implications for gene pool diversity. This is exciting stuff and we can’t wait to see how long he stays so stay tuned!

*The traveling ram

Bighorn Presentation

This month, we gave a bighorn sheep presentation to residents of The Palms at La Quinta and we had a great turnout. It’s nice to be able to speak to groups that have an interest in learning about the sheep. If you’d like a bighorn sheep presentation for your group, give us a call at 760-346-7334 or email us at bi@bighorninstitute.org; we’d love to come talk to you!

Adopt-a-Bighorn

Need a unique gift or just want to support the sheep? You can Adopt-a-Bighorn! Lambs are $100, ewes and rams are $150 each. Adoptions include a certificate, a 4x6 color photograph of your endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep, a bighorn sheep fact sheet, a year’s subscription to our e-newsletter, and a year’s membership with the Institute. All adoptions are 100% tax-deductible! Visit our website to adopt-a-bighorn: https://www.bighorninstitute.org/adopt-a-bighorn

BI Resale Store Items Needed

Have small, high-quality items you’d like to donate to Bighorn Institute’s Resale Store at Antique Galleries of Palm Springs? You get a tax donation, they sell it and we get the proceeds! Things we could use include: jewelry, coins, bullion, pen sets, small clocks and watches, crystal, camera equipment, statuary and decorative items, antiques and collectibles, etc. You can take your items directly to Antique Galleries of Palm Springs (505 E. Industrial Place, just south of downtown off Sunny Dunes) and ask for Mike or Thomas. If you can’t take your items in, give us a call and we can help collect them 760-346-7334. Thank you!