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By DON MOTSON nel only as wildlife policemen, never The opportunity to observe this oper- Dave Neider, a department wildlife
Statesman Correspondent realizing the extent to which they are ation came recently, thanks to cooper- biologist set up a flight into the Taylor
McCALL — Some people think of Ida- actually involved in management and ation by Fish and Game Department Ranch along Big Creek to observe big -
ho Fish and Game Department person- monitoring of big game. officers in McCall. horn sheep.
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The trip involved a 75 -mile flight
east, over Nick Peak, across the South
Fork of the Salmon, over Yellow Pine,
down Monumental and Brush creeks
and a landing on the banks of Big
Creek.
Pilot Bob Fogg, McCall, made the
landing approach between canyon
walls, only a few feet off either wing.
The landing was made on a snow -
packedfield.
At the ranch, Don Saxman, a conser-
vation officer, and Arlow Lewis, ranch
caretaker, were on hand to greet the
flight.
The ranch, which consists of four
cabins and small pasture, belongs to
the University of Idaho and is used as a
wildlife research center.
After a lunch of coffee and candy
bars (food staples of the backcountry)
the search for the elusive sheep began.
Just a half- hour's walk from the
ranch, a medium -sized flock (about 30
head) was spotted on the top of a can-
yon ridge. A two -hour climb brought
the party close enough to classify a
large portion of the flock.
The mechanics of classification are
simple — at least in theory. Approach
the flock and record the number of
rams, ewes and lambs. Unfortunately,
sheep, like people, will not always
stand up and be counted. Their milling
through the brush and rocky angles of-
ten makes this "simple" task impos-
sible.
This flock proved to be too uncoop-
erative to count but better luck pre-
vailed the next day.
After a 10 -hour sleep and an 8 a.m.
start (mountain men tend to sleep late,
because the sun never reaches the can-
yon floor until noon) the party was
able to classify a complete flock in an
open meadow.
z
The ram- ewe -lamb ratio and total
flock size are qually important infor-
mation for game managers. From data
collected on such field trips, estimates
of total sheep population are compiled
each year.
This information is used for research
and to help determine hunting limits
for the next season. Despite the incon-
venience, winter months are the best
for these studies because cold weather
forces the flocks to lower elevations.
The biggest find came on the third
day when, after scaling a ridge directly
across the creek, the party counted
and classified 52 sheep, with more than
six legal rams (three - fourths curl).
The area within the Big Creek drain-
age once was inhabited by Sheepeater
Indians, named for their success in
hunting the bighorn sheep.
The Indians are gone now — moved
away in 1879 by the U.S. Army — but
traces of the region's ancestors re-
main. Indian writings are still visible
on the walls of the gorge below the
ranch.
When the work was completed, snow
flurries delayed the flight back to
McCall. The fare was worsening, but
with 100 pounds of flour, 20 pounds of
sugar, 10 boxes of biscuit mix and
countless candy bars, there was no im-
mediate danger.
The next afternoon, the clouds lifted
long enough to get the light plane into
the air. The pilot easily maneuvered
the aircraft, past the ridges that had
taken hours to ascend on foot two days
before.
Few Idaho residents ever enter the
primitive area. It still belongs to wild
animals like the bighorn sheep. It is a
last frontier — something to be pro-
tected.
blanket of snow.
3
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ZI
IDAHO COUNTY
--------------------------------------------------------------
VALLEY COUNTY
McCAII
BIG CREEK
•
BIG CREEK LANDING FIELD
O? TAYLOR RANCH
-F
yQ ar
'P YELLOW PINE 2
Jh� • IDAHO PRIMITIVE AREA
e
y EAST FORK SOUTH FORK SALMON RIVER H
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•
STIBNITE
This map shows the location of the Taylor Ranch The area was the site of a recent Idaho Fish and
and the Big Creek area, home of bighorn sheep. Game, Department bighorn sheep survey.
PAGE 10 - THE STAR -NEWS - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12,1995
McCall youth bags a bighorn
with luck and
Photo by Larry Wilfinger
Chad Wilfinger displays his hard -won Rocky Mountain biehorn sheen_
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star-News
When it comes to beating the odds,
Chad Wilfinger leads a charmed life.
This year, Wilfinger, a shy, soft -
spoken 17- year -old from McCall,
drew a once -in -a- lifetime Rocky
Mountain bighorn sheep permit on
his second try and bagged a fine ram
last month near the Salmon River.
If luck is hereditary, Chad surely
got it from his father, Larry, who drew
a sheep permit 12 years ago on his
second attempt, and also bagged a
ram.
In sheep hunting, waiting for years
to draw a tag can be the easy part.
Once you get it, the work really be-
gins.
On paper, the Wilfingers had all
the components for a successful sheep
hunt. Larry owns a jet boat, which
took them upriver. Their friend and
hunting partner, Chuck Gardner, pos-
sesses first -hand knowledge of the
prime sheep country in the Salmon
River from his 18 years guiding in the
area, and he has access to stock and
supplies.
But sheep hunting doesn't happen
on paper, it happens in the rugged
canyons and backcountry where rams
can easily roam 30 miles a day over
any kind of terrain.
When the rams rut in late fall, they
can be spotted along the river, but in
late summer and early fall, they can
..
Into'the {)utdo ®rs
Roger
Phillips
G
be almost anywhere, and only occa-
sionally do they come down near the
river. Considering there are 60 miles
of river corridor in Wilfinger's hunt-
ing unit, putting themselves in the
right spot to encounter a ram was like
waiting for planets to align.
"There's a lot of area out there for
them to hide," Larry said.
The trio started hunting in late
August and spent five days trekking
the high country, enduring tempera-
tures in the 100s in search of a ram,
but they had no luck. They returned
every weekend to try again, but the
rams weren't showing.
With a six -week season, the hunt-
ers knew they had plenty of time to
hunt, but as each weekend slipped
away and 12 days of hard hunting
produced no sign of rams, the thought
of getting skunked started to enter
their minds.
They headed up river for another
weekend of hunting with plans to
hunt from one of the Shepp Ranch
camps, but when they arrived; an-
five," Chad said.
The ram was 8 -1/2 years old, and
carried horns that were 32 -1/2 inches
around the curl and 14 -1/2 inches
around the base. Gardner estimated
the ram weighed between 250 and
300 pounds.
The ram added a big prize to Chad's
growing list of big game animals. He
killed an antelope at age 14, and
bagged a bear when he was 15. He has
yet to bring home either a deer or an
elk, but he says he is working on it.
Chad is now looking for his next
big hunting adventure. Ever since
Larry picked up a moose permit and
killed a large bull, Chad has had his
eye on that prize.
"I was thinking about that for next
year," Chad said.
other party was coming out and re-
ported no rams after several days of
hunting.
"Once you find one, you've got a
good chance of getting him, but the
hard part is finding one," Gardner
said.
"We were getting to the point I was
worried if we were going to find a
sheep," he said. "We were kind of
disgusted because we had been put-
ting in a lot of miles trying to find
them."
As the group was navigating arapid
on the river, Larry looked up on the
canyon wall and spotted sheep. It was
the break they were waiting for.
Gardner landed the boat and set up a
spotting scope. After looking them
over, they found it was a herd of five
rams, and three of them were of legal
size.
But there was still ,a lot of steep
terrain separating them from the rams
above. Since a sheep's primary de-
fense mechanism is its keen eyesight,
getting to the rams would require a
fair amount of stealth and a healthy
dose of luck.
The trio slipped into a nearby draw
and climbed to the same elevation as
the rams, then side - hilled to within 75
yards of the animals, which allowed
Chad to drop the largest ram with a
single shot from his .300 Winchester
magnum.
"I got the biggest one out of the
-SfdIe- s vvt ci h Dec ,), /yq5
`Let's capture them, treat them
and save them'
Help is on the way to
Hells Canyon bighorns
battling serious illness
By Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
A SWAT team of veterinarians and
wildlife biologists headed for Hells Can-
yon on Friday to try to save a herd of
bighorn sheep dying from a pneumonia -
like disease.
So far, 23 bighorn sheep have died of
Pasteurella, which attacks the respira-
tory system.
Crews from Washington, Oregon and
Idaho will start using helicopters and
trucks today in a drastic rescue attempt
in the rugged canyon to save the remain-
ing 70 premier big game animals.
Hells Canyon is in the three states
along the Snake River. Even though the
herd is in Washington, the Rocky Moun-
tain bighorns are being transported to a
wildlife research laboratory in Caldwell,
which has done extensive research on
Pasteurella.
The disease strikes fear in wildlife biol-
ogists, because outbreaks around the
West and in Idaho have decimated big-
horn herds. In the winter of 1991, an
outbreak almost eradicated existing
herds in the Hells Canyon area.
"They would be dead without treat-
ment," said Virgil Moore, spokesman for
the Idaho Fish and Game Department.
"Let's capture them, treat them
and save them."
Idaho Fish and Game is assist-
ing in the project because of the
knowledge available at the
Caldwell Wildlife Laboratory,
and also because Washington's
wild sheep could spread the dis-
ease to bighorns in Idaho.
If river levels weren't so high,
the Washington bighorns could
swim the Snake River into Idaho
or cross the Grande Ronde River
and make their way down into
Oregon, infecting other wild
sheep.
Idaho has only 3,000 to 4,000
wild sheep, but the majestic ani-
mals are sought by hunters and
wildlife photographers.
The mercy mission to try to
save the herd went into action
Friday after the three states got
an emergency $30,000 grant
from the Foundation of North
American Wild Sheep, a conser-
vation organization.
Biologists will try to save the
rest of the herd by capturing the
sheep with nets shot from guns
aboard helicopters. On the
ground, the animals will be put
in trucks and taken about 300
miles to Caldwell. They should
arrive in the wildlife laboratory
late today or Sunday.
If the animals aren't trans-
ported and treated quickly, they
can infect other wild sheep,
mainly by nose -to -nose contact.
Once a bighorn comes in contact
with the disease, it dies within
48 hours.
"We can treat all of these
sheep," said Lloyd Oldenburg,
Idaho Fish and Game big game
research manager.
Oldenburg warned, however,
that there may be only a 50
percent success in treatment.
The wild animals will be treated
with antibiotics, and those that
survive will be taken back to
Hells Canyon.
The dead sheep were discov-
ered Monday in that part of
Washington and Hells Canyon
north of the Urande Ronde Riv-
er. The area is southwest of
Lewiston, across the Snake
River.
By Tuesday, tests at Washing -
ton State University had con -
1'itmed Pasteurella.
Bighorn sheep in danger
Washington
Oregon I Grande
Ronde River
Idaho
It's a mystery how the disease
started in this part of Hells Can-
yon, Moore said. It is feared the
disease can be passed between
domestic sheep and wild bighorn
sheep.
Fish and Game knows of no
domestic sheep herds grazing in
that part of the canyon. Howev-
er, a domestic goat was see
roaming with the wild sheep,
Oldenburg said.
So far, the disease isn't
thought to have spread to wild
sheep on the Idaho side of the
Snake River. Wildlife biologists
surveyed the area by plane Fri-
day from Lewiston to the mouth
of the Salmon River and saw 72
wild sheep, none of which was
dead or appeared sick.
Bighorn sheep fact sheet
■ Idaho has two kinds of bighorn sheep. Rocky
Mountain bighorn sheep
(shown at fight) roam mainly
in Hells Canyon, and along the
Salmon River and its Middle
Fork. California desert bighorn
sheep are found south of In-
terstate 84 in Owyhee County.
■ Because of unregulated
hunting and competition with
domestic livestock, Rocky
Mountain bighorns declined
drastically and California
bighorns were eliminated in Idaho by 1930.
■ Since the 1940s, Rocky Mountain wild sheep
numbers have increased through strict hunting
regulations. California bighorns were reintro-
duced in the Owyhees in the 1960s.
■ A hunter is only allowed to take two Idaho
bighorn sheep in his or her
lifetime — one of each type.
■ Hunting permits are avail-
able each year in a corr
trolled hunt drawing, a spe-
cial lottery or by bidding for
a permit at the Foundation
for North American Wild
Sheep conference. Last year
that permit was purchased
for $70,000.
■ In Idaho's annual con-
trolled -hunt drawing, only 73 Rocky Mountain and
39 California desert bighorn permits are available.
■ in some years, as many as 98 bighorns are
shot by hunters in Idaho.
Source: Idaho Fish and Gam ' b' h
e s i s eep management plan
anho cS¢'a7`�SMa" , /Al`If5-
Second capture of sick planned
bi horns
g
The Associated Press
LEWISTON — The Washing-
ton Fish and Wildlife Department
is asking a crew of New Zealand
netgunners to return< for another
wild -sheep rescue after biologists
spotted 16 more bighorns along
the Snake River breaks.
Several of the sheep south of
Asotin, Wash., appeared sick
when spotted during a helicopter
survey Wednesday, either cough-
ing or lethargic, indicating an
epidemic of bacterial pneumonia
is still in progress.
A subsequent flight over the
Snake and grand Ronde river
breaks Thursday led experts to
believe the outbreak appeared to
remain confined to the 17 miles of
Snake shoreline from the Grand
Ronde north.
Madonna Luers, the Washing-
+^ oman, said
Helicopter Wildlife Management
promised to send a crew back to
the Snake.
The Foundation for North
American Wild Sheep committed
$20,000 to pay f017 the roundup
last weekend. The conservation
group promised to help pay for
the next round, as well, Luers
said.
All of the 58 bighorns rounded
up last weekend are still alive at
the Idaho Fish and Game Depart-
ment's Wildlife Research Labora-
tory at Caldwell.
David Hinter, the department's
wildlife veterinarian, originally
estimated as many 40 percent
would die during the routzdup or
the trip south in horse trailers.
The survival far exceeds expec-
tations, said Lloyd Oldenburg,
Fish and Game's bighorn spe-
cialist.
"I don't know why it's worked
out this way. Whatever we did
worked."
Results of tests to determine
which bacteria are responsible
for the outbreak will not be back
until next week, he added. At
least two dozen bighorns are
known to have died during the
outbreak — as much as a quarter
of the original herd.
/daho C5�a7�9177aa -
Officials start sizing up disease
Experts examine
25 bighorn sheep
from Hells Canyon
By David Woolsey
The Idaho Statesman
CALDWELL — Wildlife experts
began examining 25 bighorn sheep
on Sunday in an attempt to stop
the spread of a pneumonia -like
disease in Hells Canyon bighorns.
Officials are preparing for 30
more to arrive for treatment with-
in two days at the Idaho Fish and
Game's laboratory in Canyon
County.
Scientists fear that without the
effort, the disease Pasteurella
could balloon into a deadly epi-
demic and endanger hundreds of
sheep in Idaho, Washington and
Oregon.
"There have been cases where
pneumonia outbreaks have killed
100 percent of the animals in an
area," said Dave Hunter, wildlife
veterinarian for Fish and Game.
"We just can't let that happen."
The effort to save the bighorns
is important, officials say, because
wildlife managers have been
working to repopulate the species
after sheep numbers fell drastical-
ly in the 1930s because of food
shortages and extensive hunting.
A strain of bacterial pneumonia
Chris Chung /The Idaho Statesman
Twenty -five bighorn sheep from Hells Canyon are being kept at a
laboratory in Caldwell for examination and treatment.
began killing the bighorns more
than a week ago. Tests show the
bacteria involved are Pasteurella,
but more work will be needed to
determine if the strain is normally
found in bighorns or came from
domestic livestock.
There are only 3,000 to 4,000
wild sheep in all of Idaho.
Wildlife biologists are using he-
licopters and gun -fired nets to re-
move the sheep from steep terrain
southwest of Lewiston on the
Washington side of the canyon.
They are then taken by trailer to
Fish and Game's wildlife health
laboratory south of Caldwell.
"This is an unprecedented oper-
ation," said Bill Louderback of the
Foundation of North America_,
Wild Sheep, which is funding the
rescue.
The transplanted sheep roamed
quietly in their pens Sunday.
Hunter said precautions were tak-
en in handling and transporting
them to avoid causing stress. Just
as stress can cause a cold to wors-
en for humans, he said, moving
the sheep could exacerbate the
disease.
Getting the sheep out of the
area was the most important part
of the effort, Hunter said. But the
survival of the sheep transported
to Idaho is important because they
represent a "big chunk" of the
bighorn population along the
Washington side of Hells Canyon,
he added.
Even with treatment, Hunter
said that at best only half of the
infected sheep are expected to be
living in three months. As they
are tested, the sheep will be sepa-
rated into groups that are the
most sick, those showing fewer
symptoms and those that are not
infected.
Authorities in three states as
well as the Foundation for North
American Wild Sheep coordinated
the rescue effort. The foundation
is expected to pay about $30,000
for the project.
So far, the disease isn't expected
to have spread to the Idaho side of
the canyon. But Hunter warned
that if the infected animals re-
mained, they could have crossed
the river and endangered other
sheep along the canyon.
Even with treatment, the trans-
planted sheep have a long stay
ahead of them. That's because
they can spread the disease for
several months or even a year
after they have recovered, Hunter
said. "It will be a long time before
we can even think about making a
decision of whether they go back
in the wild."
Bighorn
activists
try to oust
ranch herd
By Jonathan Brinkman
The Idaho Statesman
Environmentalists and hunt-
ers have filed for an injunction
to stop a rancher from grazing
his sheep in Hells Canyon Na-
tional Recreation Area.
The coalition of environmen-
tal and hunting groups, saying
the domestic
sheep are re- Killer
sponsible for
spreading dis- bacteria
ease to wild
bighorn Name:
sheep in the Pasteurella
area, killing Haemolyticas
dozens of Effects on
them, asked domestic
federal court sheep: Can
in Portland cause "ship -
to order the ping dis -
sheep out of ease," a
the area. form of pneu-
monia. Most
"It's an ab- sheep carry
solute trage- the bacteria
dy, what's oc- with no
curring effect.
there," said Effects on
Pete Frost, bighom
an attorney sheep: Once
with the Na- bighorns con -'
tional Wild- tract the bac-
life Federa teria, they
usually die
tion in
within 48
Portland.
hours.
"We're un-
willing to
have all the bighorn sheep in
the Hells Canyon National Rec-
reation Area die off because of
one domestic herd."
The Wallowa - Whitman ,Na-
tional Forest already has called
for the grazing permit, held by
Oliver Wentz of Riley, Ore., to
be terminated by October. That
action is being appealed in fed-
eral court.
Wentz, who pays about $15,000
a %ear for the permit, is allowed to
graaze about 4,000 sheep. He cur-
rently grazes about 1,000 sheep.
Forest Service officials say
Wentz probably will either move
his sheep to his private ranch in
Riley or sell them.
Wentz, who says he can't be-
lieve his sheep caused the out-
break, says he will keep grazing in
Hells Canyon as long as possible.
Bighorn sheep from Hells Canyi
Hi said his herds are at least 70
miles south of the outbreak site, in
Washington State north of Lewis-
too. "I don't think the poor little
labs should be blamed for that
trduble with the bighorns," Wentz
said. "If they can blame us and
we're so far away, they'll kick all
the sheep out of the rural West for
wildlife habitat. Those things real-
ly bother me."
Meanwhile, the death toll
among 72 of the stricken bighorn
rushed to an Idaho Fish and Game
laboratory in Caldwell has soared,
rising from 10 in early December
to 0. Fifteen of the diseased sheep
dill Thursday and Friday.
`.This damn stuff is doing some -
thi)ag we've never observed be-
fore," said Lloyd Oldenburg, big
g 1 e research manager for Idaho
Fi and Game. "It's a major, ma-
joesituation."
The problem is caused by a
strain of bacteria that, while usu-
ally harmless to domestic sheep, is
lethal to bighorns. Because most
domestic sheep carry the bacteria,
close contact between the two
types of animal usually give big-
horns a fatal case of pneumonia.
Idaho Fish and Game officials
have traced the current pneumo-
nia outbreak to the bacteria
strain, a type of Pasteurella, Hae-
molytica.
The disease sometimes breaks
ouf among bighorn sheep that
have not been in contact with
domestic sheep; scientists have
not definitely linked the current
outbreak to domestic sheep.
The battle over the presence of
domestic sheep in Bells Canvon is
part of a wider dispute over the
use of public land. The Pacific
Legal Foundation, a Sacramento -
based non -profit law center that
supports property rights, says ter -
minatine Wentz's grazing hermit
Statesman file photo
)n are being treated in Caldwell.
would - set an a arming precedent
that could hurt rural economies.
"This would have a devastating
impact on people who graze in
,Hells Canyon and the economy of
that region," said Sharon Brown,
an attorney for the center.
Ric Bailey, executive director of
the Hells Canyon Preservation
Council, says removing domestic
sheep is essential to an ongoing
effort to return bighorn to the
area. "We're going to have to
change the way we conduct agri-
cultural practices if we're going to
see wildlife restored," he said.
Bighorn, prized by hunters, are
important to Idaho's tourist econ-
omy. The state now has 3,000 to
4,000 of the animals, including the
Rocky Mountain bighorns found
in the Hells Canyon area and the
California desert bighorn found
south of Interstate 84 in Owyhee
County.
The Forest Service says the re-
cent outbreak justifies its decision
to terminate sheep grazing in the
national recreation area.
"Our analysis found that domes-
tic sheep do transmit Pasteurella
to wild sheep," said Kurt Wiede-
mann, planning staff officer for
the Wallowa - Whitman National
Forest. "We looked at herding
sheep, using dogs, using a vaccine.
None of these provided the assur-
ance you would need to protect
bighhorn herds."
The Nez Perce tribe joined the
National Wildlife Federation in
its injunction request.
"The die -offs are something we
have to get past," said Keith Law-
rence, director of wildlife pro-
grams for the tribe. "That will be
difficult if the sheep aren't sepa-
rated further."
" � G zQl�6 / Q 7C.S'C17 - %l /
Sheep deaths delay
53 °f,2 bighorns reintroduction
die m Caldwell lab
By Jonathan Brinckman
The Idaho Statesman
State biologists have delayed
a program to introduce more
bighorn sheep to Hells Canyon
National Recreation Area be-
cause of a deadly pneumonia
outbreak.
The decision comes after re-
searchers found the bacteria re-
sponsible may not have come
from domestic sheep, as first sus-
pected.
Now 53 of the 72 bighorns
rushed in early December to an
Idaho Fish and Game Depart-
ment laboratory in Caldwell are
dead. The death rate was high-
est last week — 19 sheep in
three days.
"Before we bring in 60 to 100
more animals, we've got to be
sure we're not bringing them
into an environment that's go-
ing to kill them," said Dave
Hunter, wildlife veterinarian for
the Idaho Department of Fish
and Game.
The Idaho, Washington and
Oregon wildlife agencies will re-
consider next month bringing in
more sheep. Biologists want to
be sure the Hells Canyon big-
horn are healthy enough to al-
low contact witt transplanted
animals. j
Repeated studies have shown
that when bighorn and domestic
sheep come in close contact, the
bighorn are quickly infected by
a strain of bacteria called Pas
turella Hemolytica. Related ba
Idaho is now home to 3,000 to
4,000 bighorn sheep.
teria, one not normally carried
by domestic sheep, have been
implicated in the Hells Canyon
outbreak.
The outbreak threatens to
jeopardize the sheep- introduc-
tion program, sheep industry
representatives say, because it
has led environmentalists to file
for an injunction against any
grazing of domestic sheep in
Hells Canyon.
Stan Boyd, Idaho Wool Grow-
ers Association executive direc-
tor, says the lawsuit could lead
sheep ranchers to resume oppo-
sition to efforts to reintroduce
bighorns to Idaho and other
Western states.
"If wildlife folks bring big-
horn in, and then turn around
and use them to try and block
domestic sheep, we'll react,"
Boyd said. "We haven't ap-
pealed any bighorn sheep intro-
ductions in the last six years.
Now they're starting a fight,
and we may be forced to gty in
and take our own action.
Idaho, home in the early 1800s
to 100,000 or more bighorn
sheep, now has 3,000 to 4,OOp of
the animals.
The sheep, prized by big -game
hunters and wildlife photogra-
phers, could be an important
boost to Idaho's rural econ-
omies.
Efforts to reintroduce one sub-
species of the sheep, the Califor-
nia desert bighorn, have been
fairly successful in Owhyee
County. The Rocky Mountain
bighorn, another subspecies, has
not returned as rapidly to the
state's mountain regions.
"The bighorn was once more
abundant than any other animal
other than buffalo," said Jerry
Thiessen, a wildlife consultant
and former Idaho Fish and
Game manager.
S1,3 �e g yvi M�+^ch /6/ t e 9k
Group pledges $10 million
for Hells Canyon sheep
The Foundation for North
American Wild Sheep has com-
mitted $10 million toward the
future of bighorn sheep in Hells
Canyon.
This commitment was an-
nounced at the group's annual
convention in Reno, Nev. The
foundation has never before
pledged so much money to one
project. The foundation antici-
pates concentrating efforts in
Hells Canyon for 20 years.
Foundation President Pete Ci-
mellaro said Hells Canyon is
special because it contains some
of the most vast and pristine
habitat available for wild sheep
in North America.
"Our goal is to invest, if neces-
sary, 10 million dollars in the
next 20 years and increase the
sheep populations to maximum
numbers."
The Foundation for North
American Wild Sheep has al-
ready spent more than $1.3 mil-
lion in Idaho, Oregon and Wash-
ington for sheep conservation
and much of that money went to
projects in Hells Canyon, Cimel-
laro said.
The foundation provided the
money for capturing diseased
bighorns found in the Washing-
ton and Oregon portions of
Hells Canyon in December and
transporting them to the Idaho
wildlife health lab in Caldwell.
The bighorn populations con-
tinue to be monitored for new
outbreaks of pasteurella, a bac-
terial disease in wild sheep that
causes death from Dneumonia.
The foundation is paying for
much of monitoring which is be-
ing done by wildlife agencies in
the three states.
S'td Ae 5 JV dh TLA ltf 71/?96
Medicated feed becomes new tool
in fight
The Associated Press
against bighorn illness
LEWISTON — Washington
and Oregon wildlife biologists
have tried a new tactic to stop
an epidemic killing bighorn
sheep along the Snake River.
The urgency of the effort in-
creased after a dead bighorn
and several sick ones were
spotted last week on the Idaho
side of the Snake.
Another dead bighorn was
found in southeastern Wash-
" ington, near the Grand Ronde
River, a further sign the epi-
demic of bacterial pneumonia
may be spreading.
Friday's helicopter flight by
the biologists included placing
medicated feed near groups of
the wild sheep.
Despite sightings of sick
sheep near Lime Point along
the Snake and the lowest
reaches of the Grand Ronde,
biologists Pat Fowler and Vic
Coggins found the disease so
far showed no signs of spread-
ing farther south into Oregon.
While encouraging, Fowler
said, the evidence increased
that a December effort to cor-
ral the disease had fallen
short.
"I feel like we're sitting on a
time bomb," said Fowler, a
Washington Fish and Wildlife
Department biologist.
In addition to sick sheep
spotted along the Snake south
of the Grand Ronde, a dead
ram was found near the agen-
cy's Joseph Creek wildlife
management area.
It was taken to Washington
State University on Thursday
for tests.
Then the aerial survey
turned up another bighorn
that apparently had died from
the outbreak.
That one was found in Idaho,
downstream from Redbird
Creek. It also was destined for
the WSU veterinary lab.
Oregon Fish and Wildlife bi-
ologist Vic Coggins and
Fowler spread the medicated
feed in the areas where they
had spotted ailing animals.
The feed is the latest strate-
gy for trying to stop the pneu-
monia from spreading.
Infected sheep can pass it on
by touching noses with
healthy ones, as they often do.
The first large -scale attack
on the outbreak last year fo-
cused on capturing sick sheep
from a 17 -mile stretch of the
Snake River breaks in south-
eastern Washington.
At least 34 bighorn sheep
died there.
The 72 others were caught
and taken to the Idaho Fish
and Game Department's Wild-
life Research Clinic in
Caldwell.
Since the first group arrived
there Dec. 3, 20 have died, said
Dr. David Hunter, agency vet-
erinarian.
Hunter said he and others
are trying to determine wheth-
er the illness that killed the
bighorns is the same as one
found in feral domestic goats
found along the Snake.
3jatcsYjrakL Jufy I?%
Drawing for hunting permit
nets $50,000 for sick sheep
An Oceanside, Calif., man has
won an Idaho bighorn sheep
hunting permit in a drawing
which netted more than $50,000
to help save ailing herds.
Gov. Phil Batt on Thursday
drew the ticket of D. Kevin
Moore for a bighorn sheep hunt-
ing permit for this fall.
The Foundation For North
American Wild Sheep sold a re-
cord amount of tickets.
The money goes to Fish and
Game's Caldwell laboratory.
Seventy -two bighorn were trans-
ported from the Hells Canyon
area to the lab last winter be-
cause of a deadly pneumonia
outbreak which ultimately
claimed most of them.
Gary Hanson of Colorado won
the auction at the foundation's
convention in Reno, Nev., last
winter, bidding $101,000 for a
second Idaho sheep permit, Ida-
ho Fish and Game officials said.
That money is used for sheep
trapping and management.
Bighorn sheep from
Canada released
'in Idaho, Oregon
LEWISTON — Idaho De-
partment of Fish and Game bi-
ologists are optimistic 19
bighorn sheep that were re-
leased on both sides of the
Snake River in Idaho and Ore -
gon will adapt quickly.
Friday's release is part of an
ongoing effort to recover
bighorn sheep in Hells
Canyon. The sheep were cap-
tured at a mining site in Alber-
ta, Canada, then trucked to
Pittsburg Landing and ferried
by jetboat to release sites on ei-
ther side of the Snake River.
"They're already feeding.
That's a good sign," said the
Idaho Department of Fish and
Game's Frances Cassirer, lead
biologist in the recovery effort.
She said the release went
"amazingly well." At least two
of the sheep were unfazed
enough to settle down and be-
gin grazing only minutes after
being released.
John Beecham, a wildlife re-
search manager with Fish and
Game in Boise, said a move
can be traumatic for the sheep
if not handled correctly. He
said getting them restrained
and blindfolded quickly is cru-
cial.
About 10 volunteers from
the Idaho and Oregon chapters
of a wild sheep foundation
helped Friday's transplant go
smoothly, and Beecham is op-
timistic the sheep will recover
in the habitat where they once
thrived.
The three ewes and three
lambs released on the Idaho
side of the river will supple-
ment 16 released at the same
site last year. On the Oregon
side, 13 sheep, including lambs
and ewes, were released.
StQ ZA p
Story by Pete Zimowsky
Photos by Katherine Jones
The Idaho Statesman
herd of 18 bighorn sheep
Awanders along the banks
of the Snake River in Hells
Canyon, moseying from
rock to rock, drinking
from the river, and chew-
ing on grass.
Five rams, with massive horns curling
over the sides of their heads, are in the
herd.
What a sight.
A lamb bounds playfully but cautious-
ly between the adult animals.
The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
are so close you can hear them breathing
and chewing. The muscles in their legs
areas lean and powerful as those of
/I
Biologist Frances Cassirer is six years through a 10 -year project to restore bighorn populations in HeIis Canyon. "We
owe it to the sheep," she says.
marathon runners from scaling 1,000 -
foot canyon walls.
It is better than any nature television
program. It's real life — an October day
in one of the most remote areas of Idaho.
Fall is an excellent time to see the
bighorn rams in the deep river gorge that
separates Idaho from Oregon. The rams
are congregating just before the rut and
are easier to see as they come down clos-
er to the river.
Canyon travelers, whether backpack-
ing, rafting or riding in a jet boat, are see-
ing more bighorn sheep in the canyon be-
cause of reintroduction of the species
more than 30 years ago, additional trans-
plants and a constant monitoring of the
herds.
This kind of scrutiny is an expression
of the way the sheep have been capturing
the imagination of Western peoples for
thousands ofyears.
The sheep have been the subject of Na-
tive American rock art in the canyon and
today can be seen in numerous photos
and pieces of art. They are also the stars
of many wildlife- watching excursions.
"There is a connection with these ani-
mals," says Frances Cassirer, 43, an Idaho
Fish and Game research biologist who
has been studying the wild sheep for six
years.
Cassirer, who got her master's degree
at the University of Idaho and can be
considered the Jane Goodall of bighorns,
is conducting a 10 -year study on the wild
sheep of Hells Canyon to discover why
they are so susceptible to disease. The 11-
year- employee of Fish and Game is doing
the project as part of her doctoral studies.
The study is helping bring the
bighorns in Hells Canyonback from ex-
tinction because Cassirer and her assis-
tant are identifying successful herds in
the canyon.
Cassirer steers a jet boat downstream
from Pittsburgh Landing.
As she rounds abend, her wildlife re-
search assistant, who is listening to radio
'5� O_rlt � A-? -7 c:.,- Vn
Pam a. °�O3
/o // 71_2_e;70 ,Z-
-and they still do. A herd at water's edge a few miles below Pittsburgh Landing on the Snake River catches a tour
`IjNvunig a oignorn is exciting, but seeing them up close is amazing. As the herds
I
comedown to the water to drink, patient watchers can be in for a treat in Hells
Canon.
Riggins
IF YOU GO
What you'll see: Now's the time
to see bighorn rams in Hells
Canyon.
Actually, wild sheep watching is
good year- round, but now is the
best time to see rams close to the
How to see them: The easiest way
to see wildlife in Hells Canyon is to
book a tou r with a jet -boat outfitte r.
Check out www.ioga.org, the Web
page for the Idaho Outfitters and
Guides Association, for information.
For example, Beamer's Hells
Canyon Tours, based in Clarkston,
Snake River.
Lambs and ewes are best seen
along the river from June through
August. October through March is
the best time for seeing rams, said
Frances Cassirer, wildlife research
biologist with Idaho Fish and
Game. The breeding season is No-
Wash., charges $98 plus tax per per-
son for a day trip up the canyon. Trips
are year- round.
The company has an overnight trip
on the mail boat Wednesdays and
Thursdays. The cost, $230 plus tax, in-
cludes overnight lodging and meals at
the Copper Creek Lodge on the river.
The hardest way: If you're up to it, try backpacking in
Hells Canyon.
There is a trail along the Snake River from Pittsburgh
Landing to Granite Creek where sheep have been spot-
ted.
Plan on spending two to several nights in the canyon.
—Zimo
IDAHO BIGHORNS
Idaho has two types of bighorn sheep.
Rocky Mountain bighorns are found mainly in HeIIsCanyon, along the
Main and Middle forks of the Salmon River in the Frank Church River of
No Return Wilderness and the mountains east of Salmon, Challis and
Mackay.
California desert bighorns are mainly found south of 1 -84 in the
Owyhee Canyonlands.
—Zimo
vember.
Bighorns aren't the only wildlife
seen by jetboat tours. Blue herons,
eagles, mule deer, whitetailed
deer, cougars, bears and river ot-
ters are also on the wildlife watch-
ing list.
Renan Yanish, a wildlife technician, listens for signals from radio -col-
lared bighorns in Hells Canyon. KeIly the golden retriever sn iffs the air for
more interesting critters— chukars, in particular.
For information call (800) 522-
6966 or log on to www hellscanvon
tours.COm.
In warmer months, wildlife watchers
can take a whitewater raft trip in Hells
Canyon. More information on outfitted
trips is available on the Idaho Outfitters
and Guides Association Web page.
Payette to
ban- domestic
sheep from
bighorn area
Separation intended to keep
bighorns from catching disease
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Payette National Forest Supervisor Suzanne
Rainville said her decision last week to close off
almost all bighorn sheep range to domestic sheep
grazers by 2013 was one of the hardest decisions
she has ever had to make.
Rainville decided the
best way to save wild big-
horn sheep was to separate
them from domestic herds
of sheep grazing on the
forest.
The plan will take until
2013 to be fully implement-
ed, but will ban domestic
sheep from 94 percent of
bighorn sheep summer
habitat or about 347,000
acres.
An estimated 1,500 big-
horn sheep remain on the
Payette Forest. The big-
horn population in Hells
Canyon was wiped out in
the 1940s, but 474 bighorns
were transplanted between
1971 and 2004, today about
850 bighorn roam in Hells
Canyon.
About70obighornsheep
roam the hills around the
Salmon River
and various tributaries. The Salmon River herds
were never eliminated.
See SHEEP, Page A -8
(Continued from Page A4)
Most scientists believe big-
horn sheep contract a deadly
pneumonia -like illness from
contact with domestic sheep
that graze on federal, state and
private land.
The short -term answer to
stopping the deadly bacteria
from wiping out entire herds of
bighorn sheep has been efforts
to keep the two species separate.
Idaho Department of Fish and
Game officials are authorized
to shoot bighorn rams that have
been in contact with domestic
sheep herds.
Reduce Disease Risk
Last week's decision will
reduce the risk of disease
transmission between the two
species to about once every 49
years on the Payette once it
is fully implemented in 2013,
Rainville said.
"It is one of the hardest deci-
sions I've ever had to make in
my career," she said. "I feel it is a
good decision, I'm comfortable
with that."
The decision was based on
what Payette officials did know
through radio collar data col-
lected on the movements of
bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon
and along the Salmon River.
That data, coupledwithyears of
research that suggest bighorn
sheep acquire the pneumonia-
like disease, of which they
have little to no immunity, from
domestic sheep.
The decision could also
mean four domestic sheep op-
erations that graze about 18,00 0
sheep on the Payette coul d
either close down or beforced t o
scramble to find viable summe r
high mountain rangeland t o
continue their operations.
Up to 28 jobs in the regio
s� Aiva
n
will be lost due to the decision,
Rainville said.
Nothing changes this year
with Rainville's decision.
Ranchers' operations can con-
tinue running bands of sheep
on the forest this summer.
In 2011, ranchers will begin
losing allotments on the forest
and about 29,000 acres of suit-
able rangeland.
On the west side of the Pay-
ette, all of Curren Hill, Boulder
Creek and Surdam allotments,
65 percent of Smith Mountain,
and 15 percent of Price Valley
allotments will no longer allow
domestic sheep grazing.
To the north and east,
Shorts Bar, Little French
Creek, French Creek, Mar-
shall Mountain and North
Fork Lick Creek allotments
will no longer allow domes-
tic sheep grazing.
Seventy -five percent of
Hershey Lava, Bear Pete and
Twenty Mile will be protected
from domestic sheep grazing.
Half of Victor -Loon and 15 per -
centof Josephine will nolonger
allow domestic sheep.
In 2012, the line is pushed
further by removing all of
Grassy Mountain, Vance Creek
and Hershey Lava. Another
8,000 acres of suitable range-
land will be taken away to
protect bighorn sheep.
In 2013, the plan will be
fully implemented cutting the
amount of available rangeland
for sheep ranchers to about
31,500 acres.
All of Victor -Loon, Lake
Fork, Josephine, and 10 per -
cent on the north side of the
Jughandle allotment will no
longer allow domestic sheep
grazing.
The Payette's plan only en-
forces separation on national
forest land. Contact can still vate lands, Rainville said.
occur between domestic sheep The appeal period for the
and bighorns on state and pri- decision ends Sept. 13.
,--.? jo) yupid
8/ S /io
Ranchers
(Continued from Page A -1)
"It will definitely impact all
of our operations that run on the
Payette," Hinsen said.
Soulen Livestock is one of
four sheep grazing operations
operating on the Payette. The
company runs eight bands
of sheep on the Payette from
June to October, totaling about
9,000 ewes.
By 2013, Soulen Livestock
will not be allowed to graze on
five allotments in the Payette
and parts of two more, leaving
the operation that began in the
1920s with four allotments on
the Payette.
Problem Not Solved
The decision will not effec-
tively separate the two species
of sheep, since federal, state,
tribal officials and sheep ranch-
ers failed to work together to
come up with an all encompass-
ing solution, Soulen Hinson
said. She plans to appeal the
decision.
Another sheep rancher, Mick
Carlson of Riggins, agrees the
decision will not solve the prob-
lem of separation.
Carlson lives along the
Salmon River and will continue
tokeep sheep onhis property. He
also does not believe bighorn
sheep get the disease from do-
mestic sheep.
I can run sheep just for
aggravation," Carlson said. "It
(the decision) won't take sheep
off the Salmon River."
The decision threatens a
business five generations of
his family have been in for 88
years, he said.
Carlson runs 2,500 sheep on
the Bear Pete allotment about
20 miles north of McCall.
"We have a son and grandson
that would be interested (in
sheep ranching), but there's
not much point," Carlson said.
Carlson saidhe spends about
$70,000 to $80,000 on feed per
year and thousands of dollars
at grocery stores to feed his
sheep herders.
It's not just a little deal,"
he said. "The ignorance of our
government and the people
that run it just shows up more
and more."
Brothers Not Happy
Ron Shirts of Weiser and
Frank Shirts of Wilder are the
other two permit holders on the
Payette who will be affected by
last week's decision.
The two brothers run about
6,800 sheep on Smith Mountain,
Price Valley, Boulder Creek,
Victor -Loon, Lake Fork and Fall
Brush allotments.
Ron Shirts has been con-
fined to 35 percent of the Smith
Mountain allotment for several
years due to the bighorn sheep
disease problem.
His brother, Frank has been
Sheep ranchers says
decision won't work
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Last week's decision to curtail domestic sheep graz-
ing on the Payette National Forest does not address
the whole picture of what is happening to the bighorn
sheep, said domestic sheep rancher Margaret Soulen
Hinson of Soulen Livestock in Weiser.
Soulen Hinson points to
a failure of federal, state "The
and tribal officials to work
effectively with sheep ranch- ignorance
ers to come up with a viable
solution that would protect Of Our
bighorn sheep and allow
domestic sheep operators government
access to important high
mountain rangeland in the and the
summer months.
Payette Forest Supervisor people that
Suzanne Rainville last week run It USt
decided to remove about
347,000 acres from domestic ShOWS up
sheep grazing by 2013.
The reduction is an effort more and
to separate bighorn sheep
from domestic sheep due to more."
a pneumonia -like illness that
bighorn sheep can contract —Mick Carlson
from domestic sheep.
"Suzanne Rainville did a very commendable job
meeting her mandates through federal law," Soulen
Hinson said.
See RANCHERS, Page A-8
helping him out by allowing Ron
to run his 2,800 sheep on part
of the Price Valley allotment
that is adjacent to Ron's Smith
Mountain allotment on the west
side of the Payette. Ron has one
band on Frank's rangeland and
two on Smith Mountain. In all,
he runs about 2,800 sheep on
the Payette.
"With my brother's allot -
ment being decreased it reduces
the chance he can help me," Ron
Shirts said. "It's goingto amount
to selling sheep, we are going to
have to reduce sheep."
He said the decision will
mean he will only have a short
period of time where he can run
one band of sheep in 2013.
67L n1416-4
lo// q // 4
Eight appeals filed on bighorn sheep plan
Payette wants to separate
wild and domestic sheep to
limit spread of diseases
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Margaret Soulen- Hinson predicts
the decision by the Payette National
Forest to separate wild and domestic
sheep will decimate her business.
Inherappealof the decision, Soulen
saidher Weiser company willbe forced
toselloff at least 25 percent of itssheep
and may go out of business.
"In that case, there will be accom-
panying job losses, reductions in local
taxes and payments to local schools,"
Soulen- Hinson said in the appeal.
Soulen's appeal is one of eight ap-
peals filed on the July 20 decision by
Payette Supervisor Suzanne Rainville
to cancel nearly 70 percent of the sheep
grazing areas on the forest.
The decision is intended to sepa-
rate wild and domestic sheep due to
a pneumonia -like disease that threat-
ens to wipe out bighorn sheep on the
Payette.
Rainville's decision would close
about 69,000 acres of domestic sheep
grazing area on the Payette over three
years, leaving the four ranchers with
about 32,000 remaining suitable acres
for their 18,000 sheep.
Contact between domestic sheep
and wild bighorn sheep is thought
to transmit a deadly pneumonia that
has killed off entire herds of the wild
sheep.
Findings Disputed
Sheep ranchers and the sheep
industry dispute the findings that
bighorns are dying from domestic
sheep being allowed to graze on
public lands.
More appeals could come over the
next month as an erroneous legal
Sheep
(Continued from Page A -1)
If Rainville is unsuccessful
n resc,lving the dispute, then
he appeals go to a group at the
°egional forester's office in
Ogden, Utah, Pramuk said.
That group , would then
make a recommendation
to Intermountain Regional
Forester Hary Forsgren who
would either uphold Rain -
ville's decision or to send it
back to her with instructions
on how to make the plan
better.
If the appellants are still
not satisfied they can file suit
in federal court asking for the
decision to be overturned.
notice of Rainville's decision has
forced the Payette to extend its appeals
period, Payette spokesperson Laura
Pramuk said.
The decision to separate wild and
domestic sheep by cutting off graz-
ing allotments used for decades by
four sheep ranchers on the Payette
was appealed by Native American
Tribes, government agencies, hunt-
ing groups, environmental groups
and sheep ranchers.
Rainville must hold a resolution
meeting with the appellants to try
to work through the problems the
groups have with the plan. No date for
that meeting has been scheduled.
Resolving the problems of all the
appellants at the meeting could be an
impossible task for Rainville. That is
because she would have to pacify the
concerns of ranchers who want to
continue grazing on public lands as
well as the anti - grazing group West-
ern Watersheds Project.
See SHEEP, Page A -2
YLI 11 4
Forest Service rejects appeals over bighorn sheep ruling
Decision upholds
planned separation
of domestic, wild
sheep
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The Forest Service has
thrown out appeals of a Pay-
ette National Forest decision
to close large areas of the for-
est to domestic sheep.
The decision upholds the
Payette's decision last July to
separate wild bighorn sheep
from domestic sheep, which
are suspected of transmitting
disease to the bighorns.
The Intermountain Re-
gional Office in Ogden, Utah,
sent letters to the nine appel-
lants saying it found their
appeals raised "no violation of
law, regulation or policy."
The appeals were filed by
four domestic sheep grazing
permit holders on the Payette,
as well as regional Native
American tribes, government
agencies, and conservation
and environmental groups.
The appellants can now file
lawsuitsif they wishtopursue
the matter further.
Most scientists believe big-
horn sheep contract a deadly
pneumonia -like illness from
contact with domestic sheep
that graze on federal, state
and private land.
The decision in July includ-
ed a phased in separation of
the two types of sheep, while
phasing out grazing allot-
ments beginning this year.
Full Ban Takes
Effect in 2013
There are about 1,500 big-
horn sheep remaining on
the Payette, 850 in the Hells
Canyon area and about 700
along the Salmon River. The
four grazing permit holders
graze about 18,000 domestic
sheep on the Payette.
This summer ranchers
begin losing allotments on the
forest and about 29,000 acres
of suitable rangeland.
In 2012, an additional 8,000
suitable acres will be lost with
the plan. In 2013, when the
plan is in full effect, an addi-
tional 31,500 acres of suitable
rangeland will be off limits to
domestic sheep ranchers.
Ron and Frank Shirts of
Shirts Brothers, two of four
grazing permit holders on the
Payette, appealed the decision
citing the decision did not give
alternative sheep grazing al-
lotments on adjacent national Herd Practices Cited
forests.
Margaret Soulen Hinson,
who also grazes sheep on the
Payette, appealed the deci-
sion for a number of reasons,
including Rainville failed to
consider the best available
science regarding disease
transmission between big-
horn and domestic sheep.
The Idaho Woolgrowers
Association appealed the deci-
sion on a number of points,
including a 1997 agreement
between the Forest Service
and wildlife management
agencies that assured no
grazing allotments would be
closed.
"The appellant refers to a
letter the Hells Canyon Initia-
tive Committee to the Idaho
Wool Growers Association,
signed by the former forest
supervisor for the Wallowa
Whitman National Forest in
1997," the rejection letter said,
noting the agreement never
included the Payette forest.
"The letter does use the
phrase `hold harmless' and
makes no commitment that
the Payette National Forest
would not close grazing al-
lotments or change grazing
management," the letter
said.
The association also ap-
pealed because it believes
sheep herders have been suc-
cessful at keeping bighorns
separated from domestic
herds with management
practices.
The Forest Service has
monitored these additional
management practices and
found them mostly success-
ful in providing separation
between the domestic sheep
and bighorn sheep, but not
100 percent," the rejection
letter said.
"Wolves scattered a band
of sheep and two of the
ewes were discovered four
months later (after the graz-
ing season) wandering in
Hells Canyon, proving the
additional measures to be
inadequate," the letter said.
The other groups largely
appealed the decision based
on the phasing in of the plan
and monitoring plans to keep
the two sheep separated dur-
ing the first two years of the
plan.
"If funding is not available
forthemonitoringof bighorn
sheep, separation of bighorn
sheep from domestic sheep
and goats would occur," the
letter to Western Watersheds
Director Jon Marvel said.