August 2024
Two New Lambs!
August was an exciting month with two new lambs born in the northern Santa Rosa Mountains herd! One ewe hadn’t given birth yet this year and just had a late lamb, but the other ewe gave birth right before the new year so this is her second lamb this season! Double lambing is a rare phenomenon in which a ewe gives birth twice in the same calendar year. This particular ewe lost her first lamb in January so she was bred again and had a second lamb in early August. We’re optimistic that these lambs will make it since the summer heat is settling down and cooler temperatures are on the way. Typically, when a ewe gives birth late in the year like this, she won’t give birth the following year, but we’ll see. These sheep continue to surprise us so we’ll look forward to seeing what happens and let you know. In the meantime, it’s a rare treat to see young lambs in August so we’ll enjoy seeing these little ones while we can.
Fall Fundraiser Sponsors Needed!
Our 2024 Annual Party and Golf Classic fall fundraiser is November 17th and 18th and we need sponsors! It takes a village, as they say and we could sure use a few generous “villagers” to help us with the costs to put on this fabulous event. We’re looking for a Title Sponsor for $20,000. This is a great opportunity for business owners! Your business name and logo will be on all invitation and event materials and your Title Sponsorship includes a table for 10 at the Annual Party and 2 foursomes in the Golf Classic plus VIP treatment throughout the event! Also available are our classic Platinum, Gold and Silver Sponsorships for $5,000, $2,500 or $1,000. Platinum Sponsors receive 2 playing spots in the golf tournament and 4 Annual Party tickets. Gold Sponsors receive 1 playing spot and 2 Annual Party tickets and Silver Sponsors receive 2 Annual Party tickets. We would love to get sponsors for invitations, photography, gift bags and golf trophies. These sponsorships range from $1,000 -$2,500 and benefits vary, but include either Annual Party tickets or tickets and a golf spot. Sponsorships are tax-deductible and include notoriety in all event materials! If you’d like to be a sponsor, please email us at bi@bighorninstitute.org and let us know how you would like to help. Thank you, in advance, for your incredible generosity!
Palm Springs Urban Issues
Over the past few years, more and more sheep in the San Jacinto Mountains herd have been using the urban area of Palm Springs more frequently. O’Donnell Golf Course is used regularly now by bighorn sheep and the sheep wander down to the streets in a number of neighborhoods that abut the mountains. This month was particularly bad for sheep coming down onto South Belardo Road near the Best Western hotel, which is just one block from Palm Canyon, one of the busiest roads in Palm Springs. The sheep came down to the Belardo Road at least 5 times in around a week and they had to be herded back up the hill. BI volunteer, Scott Collins, has been diligently monitoring this area and relentlessly herding the sheep away from this perilous urban area. A ewe would have been hit by a car, but he acted quickly and got her turned around. The problem is, we can’t always have folks checking on the sheep and keeping them safe. Bighorn sheep warning signs are needed and ultimately, fencing. We’re meeting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service next month to address these and other urban issues affecting the sheep in the valley.
*A group of sheep being herded back to the hillside. Photo by Scott Collins.
Hard-Headed
The rut is going strong and the rams are battling for breeding rights throughout the range. There’s a lot of head-butting going on between rams, typically initiated by the younger rams challenging more dominant rams. If you’re braving the heat and out hiking lately, you may hear a loud noise that can sound a bit like a gunshot, but it’s rams hitting heads. These rams were chasing ewes, chasing each other and hitting heads constantly for over an hour. Click below to watch the video.
Trail Camera Critters
This summer, we put trail cameras on the artificial water sources that we monitor in the northern Santa Rosa Mountains. It’s been interesting to see all the different wildlife that rely on these water sources spread throughout the range. We’ve yet to see a mountain lion, but that’s a good thing since we don’t want them eating the sheep. There have been coyotes, bobcats, gray foxes, owls, hawks, ravens and doves. One of our cameras was knocked down by the sheep so we got to see lots of lizards, frogs, and rats. It’s fun to see how the sheep react too, which is mostly not at all, but once in awhile, one comes right up to the camera for a close-up. Here are a few photos.
*L to R: a bobcat up-close, frogs, Great-horned Owls, a lamb close-up
Adopt-a-Bighorn
Need a unique gift for someone 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
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