Conservation Programs

Desert Bighorn Sheep Project

 
SCI Foundation partnered with the Arizona Department of Fish and Game to restore bighorn sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains.  Arizona is concurrently monitoring the impact of mountain lions on the reintroduced bighorns to minimize lion impacts on the state’s sheep restoration goals.
 
Species involved: Desert Bighorn Sheep
 

Project partner: Arizona Game and Fish Department

SCIF Investment: $150,000 with partial funding from the Hunter Legacy Fund

Year SCIF began involvement: 2013-2014

Project Outcome

On November 18, 2013, the Arizona Game and Fish Department released 31 bighorn sheep into the Pusch Ridge area of the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson. The release, also called a transplant, is a modern wildlife management technique, used with great success by Arizona Game and Fish Department. The agency has reintroduced about 2,000 bighorn sheep to mountain ranges around the state since 1958.

This effort deemed a success, seeks to create a self-sustaining and potentially huntable bighorn sheep population in the Santa Catalina Mountains, using hunting tags to support long-term conservation.  The population has stabilized thanks to adaptive management techniques that allow wildlife managers to address negative impact issues like predation on the herd.  

Want to learn more about the project?  Watch this video – Bringing Bighorn Sheep Back to the Catalina Mountains

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