FY21 Bighorn Sheep Captures
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Project ID: 5412
Status: Completed
Fiscal Year: 2021
Submitted By:
N/A
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Project Manager: Riley Peck
PM Agency: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
PM Office: Northern Region
Lead: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
WRI Region: Statewide
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Description:
DWR plans on capturing nearly 250 bighorn sheep in FY21 including potential transplants from Montana and New Mexico, as well as test efforts on the Pine Valley, Newfoundland, Zion, Ninemile, Wasatch, and North Slope units.
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Location:
These captures are scheduled to occur in many locations throughout the state.
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Project Need
Need For Project:
We are proposing to capture and GPS-collar BHS for disease testing and translocation efforts.
Objectives:
The objectives are to bolster populations and build disease profiles.
Beaver Dam - 15 for monitoring
Newfoundland Mtns - 20 for monitoring
Zion - 15 for monitoring
Ninemile - 15 for monitoring
Wasatch - Up to 50 to explore potential for test and cull
North Slope - 24 for monitoring
Beaver Dam - 15 to the Mineral Mtns
MT - 30 animals. 20 to Ninemile Canyon (This includes radio-collar and disease costs -not the costs of the actual translocation)
NM - 65 animals. 20 to Antelope Island, 25 to Ninemile Canyon
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?):
N/A
Relation To Management Plan:
Management plans instruct us to understand disease histories on bighorn sheep units and to manage to population objectives. These capture efforts will help us make progress in these areas.
Fire / Fuels:
N/A
Water Quality/Quantity:
N/A
Compliance:
N/A
Methods:
Capture plans will be submitted for all bighorn sheep captures that are conducted from a helicopter. These plans will outline methods used to secure and transport animals, take biological samples, and ensure safety of personnel and animals.
Monitoring:
Monitoring will be conducted by DWR staff.
Partners:
We will partner with sportsmen and federal agencies on capture efforts.
Future Management:
Bighorn sheep captures are needed to reduce densities, bolster existing populations, establish new populations and monitor survival rates of populations. They will also give us a disease profile which will facilitate future decisions regarding translocation.
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources:
N/A
| Budget | WRI/DWR | Other | Budget Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $308,000.00 | $52,000.00 | $360,000.00 | $0.00 | $360,000.00 |
| Item | Description | WRI | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | Helicopter capture performed out of state by companies other than those contracted with the UDWR. | $0.00 | $52,000.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
| Other | Capture, collar, test, translocate bighorns with contracted vendors. | $308,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
| Funding | WRI/DWR | Other | Funding Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $319,500.00 | $52,000.00 | $371,500.00 | $0.00 | $371,500.00 |
| Source | Phase | Description | Amount | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Aid (PR) | P651 | $231,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 | |
| Utah Wild Sheep Foundation | Through Other is Direct ECP. | $0.00 | $52,000.00 | $0.00 | 2021 | |
| Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) | S025 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 | |
| Sportsman for Fish & Wildlife (SFW) | S027 | $21,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 | |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) | T094 | $11,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 | |
| Utah Wild Sheep Foundation | S022 | $46,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
Species
| Species | "N" Rank | HIG/F Rank | ||||
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| Bighorn Sheep | N4 | R2 | ||||
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Habitats
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Project Comments
| Comment | 08/19/2021 | Type: 2 | Commenter: Alison Whittaker |
| This is just a reminder that completion reports are due August 31st. I have entered the expenses in the Through WRI/DWR column on the finance page. Please do not make any changes to numbers in the Through WRI/DWR column. Any "Through Other" or "In-kind" expenses will need to be entered by the PM or contributors. Update your map features and fill out the completion form. Be sure to click on the finalize button on the completion report when you have your completion report ready to be reviewed by WRI Admin. Don't forget to upload any pictures of the project you have of before, during and after completion. If you have any questions about this don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks. | |||
| Comment | 09/07/2021 | Type: 2 | Commenter: Alison Whittaker |
| Riley - Will you work with Utah WSF to get the amount of direct pay funds they spent on this project? They will need to send you receipts/invoices or cancelled checks to upload to the images and documents as backup info. The expense amount needs to be entered in the expense section of the finance page. Let me know if you have any questions. When you are done with that and the completion report click the finalize button at the bottom of the completion form so I know it is ready for review. Thanks. | |||
| Comment | 02/06/2023 | Type: 2 | Commenter: Alison Whittaker |
| Here is another nudge about getting this completed. See my comment from Sept 7, 2021 on what this project still needs to be finalized. Let me know if you have questions about this. Thanks. | |||
Completion
Start Date:
07/01/2020
End Date:
06/30/2021
FY Implemented:
2021
Final Methods:
Due to lack of availability from other states, UDWR captured fewer bighorn than expected in FY21. We were still able to capture and collar 84 bighorn sheep on 4 units across Utah. Units and numbers are below.
Zion - 19
Flaming Gorge - 20
Newfoundland - 20
Beaver Dam - 25 - 15 were planned for transplant to the Mineral Mountains, but do to positive M. ovi. disease results, they were returned to the Beaver Dam mountains and released.
Project Narrative:
Bighorn sheep capture and collar projects provide UDWR with data on population performance, habitat use, disease status, and provide an early warning if a unit is experiencing a disease die-off or excessive predation. In FY 21, UDWR captured and collared bighorn sheep on 4 units. Due to positive disease results from the Beaver Dam mountains, no animals were transplanted.
Future Management:
We will continue to monitor the survival, habitat use, and movements of the collared bighorn sheep that were captured as part of this WRI project. We will use the results of the disease sampling to make management actions ensuring healthy bighorns in Utah.
Map Features
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Project Map
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