Columnist Barb Henderson: Bighorn support group reviving the herd

Barb Henderson

Friday, Aug. 1, 2003 | 9:13 a.m.

Barb Henderson is an outdoors enthusiast, freelance writer and producer/host of outdoors radio television programming. Her column appears Friday in the Sun.

In the early 1960s, eight concerned sportsmen and sportswomen felt something needed to be done for sheep and their habitat. Hence, the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn.

This wildlife conservation organization was formed in 1964, with a goal to have free roaming sheep back in all of their historic habitats.

"The dedication and passion that the fraternity members have for restoring bighorn sheep populations to Nevada is unparalleled," said Mike Cox, Nevada Department of Wildlife's big-game biologist. "I am keenly aware of the importance of their work to sustaining future bighorn herds, but my personal experiences of working with their members on a project or hiking in the mountains will always hold a special place in my heart."

Today's population of desert bighorn sheep in Nevada is approximately 4,800 and at elevations of 900-11,500 feet.

The sheep family comprises a female, called an ewe; the young, a lamb; and the male, a ram.

The ram grows horns out of skull that stay with him throughout his life. The horns form dark year rings (during the summer breeding season) that can determine the age of the ram. The ram will average 34-36 inches at the shoulder and weigh about 160 pounds.

These unique critters are amazing to watch as they easily maneuver along the rough, rocky steep terrain.

In the 1960s, fraternity member Ed Pribyl first started observing sheep in Nevada. Among the original eight members, he also served as president for six years at different intervals -- in the 1980s and the 1990s.

"Basically, the fraternity has worked throughout the years with different agencies who are responsible for managing wildlife, and have helped increase the population and improved the habitat so the animals can survive," said Pribyl.

Nevada named the desert bighorn sheep the official state animal in 1973.

The Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the lower 48, was established for the conservation of the Desert Bighorn on May 20, 1936. "Since 1981, the fraternity has assisted the range with construction of 20 water developments and helped improve 17 others," said Bruce Zeller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. "The appraised value of their work exceeds $100,000 without which the range could not have completed several bighorn reintroductions".

Nevada Wildlife Commissioner Clint Bentley served as the president for the fraternity from 1999 until he was appointed to serve on the commission in 2002.

"The opportunity to be the president of the fraternity gave me an insight to people and government agencies that have been invaluable to me as a person," said Bentley. "Being able to work with these great members who donate their time and are determined to make life better for the sheep and all the other critters has been gratification personified."

With approximately 200 members and no paid staff, they've worked with other organizations, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and several federal agencies in constructing and maintaining more than 100 water developments, providing a water source for wildlife in remote ranges.

The desert bighorn can survive for long periods of time without water in cooler months, because they are able to obtain enough fluid from vegetation. However, in the summer, water becomes essential for wildlife to survive and sheep require about 1 gallon of water each day.

NDOW water projects were at about 58 percent capacity in July 2002. Due to the hard work by the members of the fraternity in improving and upgrading the water development projects and by performing maintenance in making the projects ready for winter precipitation, the current water capacity is at 71 percent, according to NDOW wildlife biologist Craig Stevenson.

A new water development project can cost in the neighborhood of $30,000.

The fraternity's annual fundraising banquet will be next Friday in Las Vegas. For more information on the fraternity click on the Internet at www.desertbighorn.com.