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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2004 Wyoming could get bighorn sheep from Oregon By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Wyoming could receive up to 40 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep from Oregon under a request by that state to bolster a struggling herd in the Big Horn Mountains. If conducted over the next two winters, the transplant will be the first in Wyoming in nine years, according to Kevin Hurley, Cody regional wildlife management coordinator. "We want to supply some new blood so to speak ... inject some life into this herd," Hurley said. "The ultimate goal is a huntable population ... we want to be able to get to a hunting point with this herd. We have high hopes for the viability of this transplant." Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists plan to meet at the end of the month to look at the status of Oregon’s Rocky Mountain and California sheep herds and consider the request. "We’ll evaluate our in-state needs and capabilities, as well as our out-of-state requests," says Don Whittaker, a biologist who manages Oregon’s bighorn sheep program. Advertisement Western states and Canadian provinces with sheep populations regularly work together to help restore herds, Whittaker says. Oregon, for instance, has received Rocky Mountain sheep from Wyoming in the past, and three years ago received some Rocky Mountain sheep from Alberta and California bighorns from Nevada, Whittaker says. Oregon currently sports about 800 Rocky Mountain bighorns and about 3,700 California bighorns, Whittaker says. Under a plan approved this week by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, any sheep from Oregon would be added to the Porcupine sheep herd in Devil’s Canyon, northeast of Lovell. The area can easily sustain several hundred bighorn sheep, officials said. The Oregon sheep under consideration for transplant are a subspecies of Wyoming’s bighorn sheep. The Porcupine herd has about 30 to 60 sheep now but has been declining since 1990-91 mainly because of poor lamb survival, Hurley said. It was created with the transplant of 39 sheep to the area in 1973. Currently, there are about 5,900 bighorn sheep in Wyoming spread among 15 herds, according to the agency’s 2003 population estimates. The Associated Press in Wyoming contributed to this report Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities