On May 25, 2021, Dr. Tom Stephenson, Wildlife Biologist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, will present The Uncomfortable Reality of the Effects of Predators on Endangered Species Recovery. This will be a virtual presentation.
See the 2021 SNARL Spring Seminar Series webpage for more details.
The Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation has been working since the mid 1970’s to restore this endangered mammal. Please click on this link to find 10 Easy Things You Can Do to Save Endangered Species courtesy of the Endangered Species Coalition. And if you are so moved, please click on the donate button and become part of the team that is working to recover this amazing animal.
Up Close and Personal - using pictures from automated cameras at desert water sources to recognize individual bighorn sheep and estimate population sizes
Dr. John Wehausen – Research Scientist
White Mountain Research Center 2018 Public Lecture Series
All lectures are free to the public.
Talks are held on Tuesdays and begin promptly at 7:00 pm
3000 East Line Street, Bishop, CA
For more information call 760-873-4344
Saturday, March 10, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST
Mammoth Middle School, 1600 Meridian Blvd, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Free admission, open to the public
A fun presentation about Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, presented by the Bronze Award Team of Girl Scout Troop 580 (Kaiha, Sage, Lucy, Katherine and Ellie) in partnership with the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation. There will be real bighorn sheep artifacts, a scavenger hunt, photo booth, art, snacks and more!
Project Bighorn was created by the Bronze Award Team of Girl Scout Troop 580 from Mammoth Lakes, CA. The intent is to raise awareness of the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (SNBS) through education, art and media.
The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior can achieve. As the girls from Troop 580 began the Outdoor Journey that is a part of the Bronze Award process, they tackled the Animal Habitats badge. In doing so, they learned about the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation and were introduced to Virginia “Ginnie” Chadwick, Ph.D, who's primary function at the foundation is education and outreach.
Ginnie's bighorn sheep program inspired the girls so much the Bronze Award team decided they would make it part of their mission to educate the students and community of Mammoth Lakes on this incredible species and what they can do to help preserve its place in the wild.
For more information and details and to express your interest, visit the Project Bighorn Facebook page.
Winter to early spring is the best time of year for viewing endangered Sierra bighorn before they retreat to higher elevations. These animals are difficult to see and there are just over 500 in the world, all in the Sierra Nevada.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation provide free public field trips to view Sierra bighorn. Tentative dates for 2018 are February 2 and April 21, dates in March TBD.
Meet at 9:00 AM in the Bishop CDFW parking lot, 787 N. Main St. (Cottonwood Grove Shopping Center, behind El Pollo Loco). Be dressed for the weather and in sturdy footwear. Sun protection is highly recommended. Bring binoculars or scopes if you have them. We will try to carpool from the office as much as possible, and vehicles that can be driven off pavement are preferred but not required. Field trips are usually concluded by noon, and typically involve very little walking.
Pre-registration is required as space is limited and field trips are weather and road condition dependent.
RSVP as soon as possible if you would like to join us, or email with questions.
Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program
California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Bishop, CA
760-873-3260
Join a unique Yosemite backpacking trip to explore the stomping grounds of the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep - August 23, 2018 to August 26, 2018.
Dates: September 8-9
Field Seminar Leader: John Wehausen
$182 per person / $167 for Mono Lake Committee members
This field seminar will involve discussions of the fascinating biology of the federally endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, their relationship with other mammals (including mountain lions and humans), and their conservation in the field.
Past participants saw bighorn 15 out of the last 16 years. While there is a very good chance of seeing bighorn sheep during this seminar, there is no guarantee.
John Wehausen has been studying the Sierra Nevada bighorn and working for their conservation since 1974.
Please be aware that this seminar involves very strenuous hiking at the 10,000-foot elevation and above. Click here for a full seminar itinerary.
Registration for the Mono Lake Committee's summer and fall 2018 Field Seminars will open on Thursday, February 1 at 9:00am for members only.
If you are not a Committee member, but you wish to register in February, you may join the Committee and sign up for the class of your choice.
Questions? Call (760) 647-6595 and ask for Elin, Nora, or Andrew. You can also email the Mono Lake Committee if that's easier.
The CDFW Wildlife Investigations Lab blog has a new post dated December 1, 2017 with details of this year's fall bighorn sheep capture.
Join us for a Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep field trip on Saturday, April 22. We will meet at 9am at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife office at the west side of the parking lot in the Cottonwood Plaza, 787 N. Main Street, in Bishop. From there we will caravan and carpool to a local bighorn sheep vantage point (the location will depend on conditions that day). Be prepared with food, water, and binoculars if you have them, and dress for the weather. Most likely a very little, light hiking will be involved, and we should be done sometime around midday or early afternoon.
As usual, space is limited and registration is required, so please RSVP as soon as possible if you would like to join us. If you have any questions, please email them to Cody Massing. For those signed up for the trip, we will send out an email next week to confirm.
We have decided to cancel the bighorn field trip this Friday, January 27, 2017. The roads are still snowy and sheep are just not accessible at this time. We are sad to cancel, but it doesn't look feasible for this week. Our next trip is scheduled for February 24. Please email if you would like to join us then.
Winter and early spring is the time of year when Sierra bighorn are most easily found and viewed before they retreat to higher elevations.
We partner with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to provide free public field trips to view Sierra bighorn. Tentative dates for 2017 are January 27 (updated 1/12/17), February 24 and April 22. Typically very little walking is required. Watch this website for times and further information, as these field trips are highly weather dependent. Pre-registration is required.
You can also set up a private one-day field trip with Dr. Wehausen for a $1,500 donation to the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation. Contact us via email if interested.
SNBF presents field trips on Sierra bighorn in coordination with The Mono Lake Committee for their Chautauqua in late June (half day) and a weekend field seminar in September, both led by Dr. John Wehausen.
The Yosemite Conservancy has overnight backpacking trips focused on Sierra bighorn that Dr. John Wehausen participates in with Yosemite wildlife biologist Sarah Stock
In late fall, 2016, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation and other agencies collared ewes and lambs. Four rams were translocated to Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park and five rams went into the Cathedral herd in Yosemite National Park. We are hoping for a big crop of lambs in spring of 2017.
See the Yosemite Conservancy website for more details on this exciting addition to the Cathedral Range herd. Be sure to scroll down to see an action shot of the release.
Thanks to Caitlin Kohl for these photos of rams in the Arrowhead - Rae Lakes area taken in late September.
It's been a little over a year since biologists released Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep into Yosemite's Cathedral Range, marking the return of the species to its historical habitat for the first time in more than 100 years. Read about the current status of the Cathedral Range herd on the Yosemite Conservancy website.
The 29th Annual Kids Fishing Festival, Snow Creek Ponds on Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA. The Kids Fishing Festival begins at 8:00 AM and ends at 1:00 PM. You’d think we’d have a Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Festival, but trout outnumber Sierra bighorn sheep by a zillion to one. Besides trout are easier to see. It isn’t necessary to hike to 11,600 feet of elevation to see a trout! If you have a child age 14 and under this is a chance to have a second trout dinner. Bring your own rod and reel or use the ones furnished.
For information about this fabulous event and all the great vendors see the Kids Fishing Festival webpage.
For additional information please contact Gaye Mueller at 760-937-2942.
Trout Fest at Hot Creek Fish Hatchery, 121 Hot Creek Hatchery Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93456. The Trout fest begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 1:00 PM. Come and learn about our local, native, endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, and all there is to know about local trout. This event is for under 15 year old children and is a fantastic, comprehensive, introduction to fishing. All equipment is supplied. With good luck the family will leave with trout for dinner.
For more information see the Trout Fest webpage.
To volunteer contact Jana Lieran
Join us for a celebration of endangered species, their habitats and watersheds
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2016
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Where: Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center: 2510 Main Street, Mammoth Lakes CA
The Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center is located one mile (1.6 km) off U.S. Highway 395 on State Route 203, at the entrance to the town of Mammoth Lakes, California.
Learn about:
Local endangered species
Why habitat preservation is important
What you can do to help endangered species
Agencies/Non-profits
• Ridgecrest Chapter of the California Turtle and Tortoise Club.
• Department of Fish and Wildlife Amphibians and Fish
• Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association~skulls and skins
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation
Would you like some of Julie Rolfe’s original bighorn art? Please bring a washed T-shirt or onesie.
Two recently taken photos of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep courtesy of Dale Matson.
Dr. John Wehausen
$165 per person / $150 for members
This field seminar will involve discussions of the fascinating biology of the federally endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, their relationship with other mammals (including mountain lions and humans), and their conservation in the field. Past participants saw bighorn 15 out of the last 16 years—while there is a very good chance of seeing bighorn sheep during this seminar, there is no guarantee. Dr. John Wehausen has been studying the Sierra Nevada bighorn and working for their conservation since 1974. Please be aware that this seminar involves very strenuous hiking at the 10,000-foot elevation and above.
