California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Home Wildlife Bighorn Sheep Sierra Bighorn Recovery Program Public Outreach

Public Outreach
(Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program)

Interpretive displays at Community Day, Bishop, CA

Sierra Nevada Bighorn have long been in the public eye, at least as far back as John Muir, who called them "the bravest of all the Sierra mountaineers." The Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Program has benefited from public involvement in the conservation and management efforts of these bighorn.

In 2001, local guide S. P. Parker notified program personnel of a sighting of a large group of sheep on Charlotte Dome, located on the west side in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. This was the first reported sighting of a natural colonization from an existing population. Technically, this herd unit is named the Bubbs Creek Herd based on the geographic location, but many local residents fondly call it the "Parker Herd". During the last decade, numerous public sightings have established that other natural colonizations appear to be taking place as well. Any sightings of bighorn sheep in the Sierra Nevada mountains can be reported to asksnbs@wildlife.ca.gov. It is helpful if you can give an exact location, including map coordinates if available, a very detailed description of the location if no map coordinates are avaiable, the time and date and a thorough description of what you saw. If you were able to take pictures, please attach them. It could help us detect a new natural colonization.

Program staff have presented to students at local schools and are available upon request for presentations. Students at Round Valley School participate in an annual field trip to view bighorn sheep at Wheeler Crest.

Events

The SNBS program has a number of events each year. In past years, we have participated in Community Day in Bishop, CA. Outings to view bighorn are conducted annually with Audobon Society and the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation. Talks on various aspects of research within the program are hosted by White Mountain Research Station and Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab (SNARL) during their respective lecture series. All of these events are open to the public and you are encouraged to attend. Any upcoming scheduled events will be listed below.