September 2024
Invitations are in the Mail!
Our 2024 Annual Party and Golf Classic is Sunday and Monday, November 17th and 18th at Stone Eagle Golf Club and the invitations have been mailed! If you’d like to attend and aren’t on our mailing list, you can sign up online (www.bighorninstitute.org). Want to sponsor the event? We have Platinum, Gold and Silver Sponsorships for $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000. Please click on the flyer for details. Sponsorships are tax-deductible and include notoriety in all event materials! The Annual Party and Golf Classic is the Institute’s primary fundraiser and raises funds that help support our research and conservation efforts for the endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep. The Annual Party takes place in the amazing Aerie restaurant, includes dinner, a live and silent auction and more. The Golf Classic is hosted by golf legend, Dave Stockton, and is a course like no other. Hope to see you there!
They’re Back!
The Palm Springs ewe has finally gone back home to the San Jacinto Mountains in Palm Springs. With her lamb in tow, they made the trek back in late September so they spent nearly 9 months in the northern Santa Rosa Mountains. It’s hard to believe that this lamb is just now learning the range in which she was born, but she has incredible knowledge about the expansive habitat available for her future use. It’s been really interesting to see where this ewe has decided to live this year. We look forward to continuing to track her travels.
Movers and Shakers
Apparently, Palm Springs is where it’s at right now because not only did the Palm Springs ewe move back, but a collared ewe and a ram from the northern Santa Rosa Mountains crossed ranges and went to the San Jacinto Mountains in early September. It’s highly unusual for ewes to cross ranges, but this collared ewe also crossed briefly in October 2022. The amazing thing about her is that she typically resides in the mountains near south Palm Desert so she’s made a very long move (15 miles as the crow flies) and we’re interested to see how long she stays. This time, she brought a ram with her – or maybe he pushed her and she just kept running. The rut is on right now and rams can be relentless. Either way, this movement across ranges is good for gene flow. Stay tuned as we wait to see where they go next.
*A NSRM ewe and ram in the SJM.
A Tough Living
There are bighorn herds that don’t have any available drinking water during summer and get the majority of their moisture from plants. This may be the case for a group of sheep living south of La Quinta in the backcountry. Water is available seasonally in this part of the central Santa Rosa Mountains, but over time, year-round water has become scarce. These sheep rely on the vegetation during the sweltering summer heat and one of the main plants they eat is barrel cactus. Its succulent center provides vital moisture and electrolytes to keep the sheep thriving. The sheep use their horns to break open the cactus and none goes to waste as they’ll eat it down to the ground. These animals never cease to amaze us with their resilience and ability to adapt.
OSU Collaboration
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have asked us to partner with them and other bighorn biologists on a study looking at blood values in desert bighorn sheep and possible associated adaptive changes. The study will compare non-water restricted captive bighorn sheep blood values to water-restricted wild sheep. We look forward to partnering on this project with OSU that will result in a peer-reviewed publication in the future.
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