February 2025
2025 Spring Fling Fast Approaching
Our 2025 Spring Fling fundraiser will be held on Tuesday, April 8th at Stone Eagle Golf Club and you don’t want to miss this amazing event! Enjoy a delicious dinner, forever views from The Aerie restaurant, a live and silent auction and more. Invitations will be mailed out in March. Please mark your calendars and we hope to see you there!
Membership Meeting
Bighorn Institute’s Annual Membership Meeting took place February 1st at the Institute and we had a great group of members join us! We elected the Board of Directors and spoke about our accomplishments in 2024 and our future plans for 2025. Thank you to everyone that was able to join us!
Breakfast with the Bighorn
Our 4th Annual Breakfast with the Bighorn fundraiser was great fun and we appreciate all who came and donated auction items for future events! Kept to just 30 guests, this member mixer was a great opportunity to spend more time visiting while we enjoyed a delicious catered breakfast by J’s Deli and looked for the captive sheep through a spotting scope! The weather couldn’t have been better and the sheep made a showing. Thanks to all who were able to join us and for your incredible generosity!
Sheep in the Streets
Bighorn sheep have been using O’Donnell Golf Club in Palm Springs regularly for the past four years and this year, have decided to wander into downtown Palm Springs, which is dangerous for them and motorists. Multiple times at the end of the month, bighorn sheep had to be herded back into the mountains when they strayed into the streets. It was becoming a daily habit so we’ve reached out to the wildlife agencies to see how they can help. Our dedicated volunteer, Scott Collins, had been vigilantly monitoring the area and herding the sheep back, but Animal Control also had to help and it’s gotten out of hand. There have been numerous postings on social media and The Desert Sun wrote an article on it (see Recent News below). The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said they’d do a site visit to assess the situation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they’ll consult the Department and Bighorn Institute to see how to move forward. We’ve been recommending a fence for years. We’ll keep you posted.
Lambing Season Going Strong
We documented many new lambs this month in all three of our study herds. There are now nearly 10 lambs in the San Jacinto Mountains herd near Palm Springs and around 20 lambs in the northern Santa Rosa Mountains herd near Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage and in the central Santa Rosa Mountains herd near La Quinta. We expect to see many more lambs this season. Please let us know if you see lambs when you’re out hiking since most of the ewes are unmarked. You can call 760-346-7334 or email us at bi@bighorninstitute.org. However, please don’t post on social media where you see lambs as it often attracts others and too many people can be stressful to the ewes with their newborns.
Still a San Jacinto Ewe?
Last year, we kept you up-to-date on a collared ewe that moved with her lamb from the San Jacinto Mountains (SJM) in Palm Springs to the northern Santa Rosa Mountains (NSRM) that stretch from Palm Springs to Palm Desert. She stayed in the NSRM all year, except for a short trip back to the SJM in October. We’ve been waiting to see where this ewe would give birth and at the end of February, she finally did so in the NSRM! We’re anxious to see where she’ll rear her lamb since she’ll soon be seeking a nursery group to join. Our hunch is that she’ll remain in the NSRM, but we’ll find out soon enough and let you know!
Member Hike
Our member hike on February 12th was a success! We saw 9 sheep, including a few lambs. Our last Member Hike of the season will be on Wednesday, March 12th and will likely be moderately strenuous (up to 1,000 ft elevation gain). 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.
Recent News
Endangered bighorn sheep make visit to downtown Palm Springs - The Desert Sun
Experts Warn of Bighorn Sheep Wandering Into Coachella Valley Streets - NBC Palm Springs
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