One of the hottest wildlife issues this winter could be about bighorn sheep. You might remember last spring when U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered ranchers to move their sheep off of five allotments on the Payette National Forest in Hells Canyon to protect bighorns.
He ordered ranchers to keep their sheep off of another allotment on the Nez Perce Forest in November for the same reason. That has angered the sheep ranching community and headed it toward a political show-down with sportsmen and environmentalists.
Scientists have long believed that domestic sheep are responsible for infecting bighorn sheep with an pneumonia-like disease that can be quite devastating to bighorn populations. There is strong evidence that shows the wild sheep get sick and often die when the two species mix.
Ranchers are not convinced and many are bitter because bighorns were reintroduced into many areas that now environmentalists want the domestic sheep moved out. Ranchers even went along with the sportsmen groups at the time because they were told they would not have to move.
But disease continues to kill off bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon. Only 20 percent of the lambs in the herd survived in 2007, according to the Oregonian.
In response to lobbying by ranchers, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter asked the Idaho Department of Agriculture and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in October to assemble a working group to develop a statewide policy addressing issues of domestic sheep and bighorn sheep in Idaho. This panel held a meeting in December and another this week.
Cal Groen, Fish and Game’s director told me he is seeking a collaborative solution to the problem that protect bighorns and ranching. But that’s going to be a tall order.
The Western Watersheds Project was involved in both lawsuits that led to the orders to move the sheep out of Hells Canyon and they plan to continue pursue legal action to move domestic sheep away from bighorn populations.
I spoke with Neil Thagart, spokesman for the 10,000-member Foundation for North American Wild Sheep in Cody, Wyo. last month and he said the only solution is to keep domestic sheep and bighorns apart.
The Idaho Woolgrowers Association may go to the Idaho Legislature for a solution. And Tuesday the Cassia County Board of Commissioners voted to ask Otter to relocate bighorn sheep from the South Hills near Twin Falls because of conflicts with domestic sheep.
This conflict epitomizes the changing values of the West. Scientists have not been able to resolve the health issue but ranchers long had the power to dictate how the issue would be handled.
Now, the value of bighorn sheep both for hunting and scenic enjoyment is turning the politics.
Bighorns, after all, are not wolves.
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Rocky I attended Monday's
Rocky
I attended Monday's sheep meeting. The Idaho woolgrowers, and their hired gun Stan Boyd were there, pursuing their Woolgrowers War on Wildlife.
From the questions they asked of the IDFG and their general comments, it seems they want to restrict Bighorns to three areas in Idaho and "relocate" all of the rest.
I worked for the IDFG, as a biologist in 1970, evaluating much of central Idaho for possible Bighorn restoration. Bighorns were re-established in four locations at that time, but have struggled with disease since. When domestic sheep come in contact with Bighorns, Bighorns die.
Most of the areas I looked at were so overgrazed in 1970 that I had to reject them as viable sites for transplants. In traveling around Idaho during the 37 years since, things haven't changed much.
Taxpayers still subsidize the domestic sheep industry with subsidies for wool, with below- market grazing fees, with predator control through the so called "Wildlife Services" and we fund the Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois, Idaho, all for the benefit of LESS than 20 large sheep outfits.
They in turn reward Idaho Taxpayers by employing foreign workers at slave-labor wages to herd their sheep. They want to rid themselves of any competition for forage on public lands by removing Bighorns and start using 1080-laced POISON BAITS again to kill eagles,wolverines and anything else that might hurt one of their precious sheep.
After going to the meeting and reading your article,I'm convinced Idaho would be better off with NO domestic sheep on public lands.
Agree with Photographer
I too am fed up with these "Lords of Yesteryear." There are so few sheep ranchers left in Idaho, I am amazed at their political pull.
Their subsidized grazing fees at 5 sheep for $1.35 month on public land are a taxpayer rip-off. Low wages and a visa stranglehold take advantage of foreign herders. The havoc thousands of domestic sheep wreak on wildlife and public lands are unacceptable.
Time to change the way their businesses operate--look at Brad Little, a smart businessman who got out of the sheep business several years ago. Or else, they need to refocus their operations to run only on their private lands (such as growing high value organic lamb).
I like to wear wool clothes, but in future purchases, will make sure that the wool doesn't come from the US. As for lamb, I never touch the stuff, but will encourage friends and family NOT to buy any lamb that is produced in the US--unless they know it hasn't touched public lands. And I am going to raise holy hell about this IDF&G "collaborative" effort.
Exploding laa-a-a-a-ambs on the street!
Call the Governator, let's roll!
15 sheep for $1.35???
The $1.35 is per AUM which means 5 sheep and their 10 lambs per month. Most Idaho Woolgrowers start lambing soon if they haven't already. Many of them take their sheep to California or other places to the south where they can lamb early. The lambs are very large and weaned when they turn out on our public lands, so in reality you get to graze 15 sheep for $1.35 per month.
(It may be 1.45 per month) In any case it amounts to less than ten cents ($.10) per sheep per month.
And if you can truck in more sheep on Sunday morning when the government land managers are at home or in church, you might graze 30 sheep for $1.45 per month. Or 40 or 50 if you do it for several Sundays.
You can also start trailing your sheep a week or more before your turnout date and take a week or more going home at the end of your permitted time in the fall to squeeze in another couple of weeks of free grazing.
It all depends on how "creative" you are.
So WHY...
is the meat so danged spendy and yet sheep farmers can't survive, or so they say?
I know...it's the dept. store equation of VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME.
You can slap out burger a lot easier and they weigh more.
I guess if you could get sheep grown cheaply as cattle you'd end up getting ma-a-aa-aa-ad mutton disease.
Killing the Bighorns to Protect them from Themselves
Now I have heard it all. The interim bighorn sheep plan calls for the IFG&G to get out there and kill all the bighorns that cross a non-descript line in the sand.
Stan Boyd was at his finest again setting a policy for the Governor to kill all the bighorns. The unfortunate part about the entire effort is that the domestic sheep are in the bighorns native habitat. I say move the domestics. If not, so many bighorns will be shot that then they will be listed as endangered and none of us will have the opportunity to hunt one with either a rifle or a camera.
Stan has been presenting this to the State Legislature as the "fix". I think all of the hunters of Idaho need to speak up and tell Otter that when he proposed to sell the public lands to pay for Katrina he was wrong and he is wrong again for killing off the bighorns. These are OUR bighorns, not Stan Boyd's bighorns.
The shameful approach taken by the Idaho Woolgrowers and the State is dangerous for bighorns and dangerous for the Idaho citizens who care about the State's obligation to uphold the public trust.
Sportsmen, hunters, wildlife watchers, conservationinsts and tribes are being sidelined on this issue. What happened to the public hearings needed before such a travesty is to occur.
Do you mean...
we aren't detonating them?