Wednesday, January 27, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
13
Restoring bighorn sheep
Bighorn sheep capture
and transplant operations
this week in eastern Oregon
are continuing decades-long
efforts to restore this rare
native animal to its historic
range.
Since the first California
bighorn sheep were brought
from Williams Lake, BC,
Canada in 1954, the popula-
tion has grown to 3,500-3,700
among herds in southeast
Oregon. Northeast Oregon’s
Rocky Mountain sheep have
grown to about 800 since the
first successful transplant
of 40 animals from Jasper
National Park, Canada in
1971.
ODFW’s yearly capture
and transplant operations help
thin too-large herds, supple-
ment herds that need more
numbers and increase genetic
diversity. This year, efforts
focused on reducing the size
of the I-84 herd. A total of
26 animals from the herd
were relocated to the Diablo
Mountain and Coglan Buttes
herds in Lake County.
ODFW also captured
seven Rocky Mountain sheep
in the Lookout Mountain
Unit and transported them to
Washington state as part of
the Hells Canyon Initiative, a
joint effort by state and fed-
eral agencies and sportsman
groups to restore bighorn
sheep in the area.
During the capture opera-
tions last week, a helicop-
ter was used to locate sheep
before they were captured
using a net fired out of the
helicopter from a specially
designed gun. Once cap-
tured, the sheep were blind-
folded and restrained to calm
them, then hoisted in the air
by the helicopter and taken
to a location where ODFW
biologists and veterinarians
processed the animals. Each
bighorn sheep was disease-
tested, and many were fit-
ted with a GPS transmitter
so their movements can be
tracked. Volunteers from
the Oregon Foundation for
North American Wild Sheep
(Oregon FNAWS) also
assisted in the operation.
After completing the I-84
sheep capture operation,
ODFW moved to south-
east Oregon to disease-test
and collar nearly 60 sheep
in Whitehorse Unit. ODFW
will be stepping up sur-
veys and disease-sampling
in herds in Oregon’s south-
east corner (Whitehorse and
Owyhee Units) due to disease
concerns.
A strain of pneumonia
from a previous outbreak
in Nevada’s wild sheep is
now affecting wild sheep
in the Whitehorse Unit.
Testing of sheep in the
Rattlesnake and 10-mile area
of the Whitehorse Unit has
confirmed the strain is one
that led to a loss of sheep
in Nevada’s Santa Rosa
Mountains in 2003-04.
“These bacteria can per-
sist in sheep populations over
long periods of time, even
decades, and move long dis-
tances and across state bound-
aries,” said Dr. Colin Gillin,
ODFW wildlife veterinarian.
The Owyhee Unit is
experiencing a more cur-
rent disease outbreak after a
new strain of Mycoplasma
ovipneumonia (M.ovi), the
respiratory pathogen that
can cause pneumonia, was
detected in this herd in late
2015. ODFW’s mid-Decem-
ber 2015 helicopter surveys
detected 50-60 percent fewer
sheep in the Owyhee unit
than in March 2015. Samples
testing positive for the patho-
gen have come from hunter-
harvested sheep on both sides
of the Owyhee Canyon (from
Leslie Gulch to Hole in the
Ground, a distance of 37 river
miles).
Further monitoring will
help determine the extent of
the outbreak and whether the
disease has run its course or
if more sheep are getting sick
or dying.
“Our biggest concerns
at this point is the level of
infection, how prevalent the
bacteria is in our herds, and
whether we can devise a
photo by brent mcGreGor
Sisters photographer had a close encounter with bighorn sheep in the Steens Mountain area.
management strategy to miti-
gate the effects of a pneumo-
nia outbreak,” said Gillin.
Due to the outbreak and
concern that hunting oppor-
tunity could be poor, ODFW
is cancelling bighorn sheep
hunting in the Owyhee Unit
for 2016. In recent years, the
unit has been offering 10 big-
horn sheep tags spread across
three hunts.
Any hunter who has
already applied for this hunt
as a first choice may cancel
the application for a refund,
make their second choice
sheep hunt their first choice,
or change their application.
See page 14 of the Oregon
Big Game Regulations
for details or call ODFW
Licensing at 503-947-6101.
Sport hunters have been
Starts
Friday
Fri., Jan. 29 – Thurs., Feb. 4
Kung Fu Panda 3 (PG)
Fri 4:45, 7:00
Sat 2:00, 4:15, 6:30
Sun 1:15, 3:30, 5:45
Mon-Thurs 4:00, 6:15
The Finest Hours (R)
Fri 5:00, 7:30
Sat 2:15, 4:45, 7:15
Sun 1:30, 4:00, 6:30
Mon-Thurs 4:00, 6:30
Room (R)
Fri 7:15 • Sat 4:30, 7:00
Sun 3:30, 6:00
Mon-Thurs 6:30
The Revenant (R)
Fri 6:45
Sat 3:45, 6:45
Sun 2:45, 5:45
Mon-Thurs 6:00
Brooklyn (PG-13)
Fri 4:30 • Sat 1:30
Sun 12:30
Mon-Thurs 3:45
The Big Short (R)
Fri 4:30 • Sat 1:45
Sun 12:45
Mon-Thurs 3:45
Movie times and titles are
bsite
subject to change. Visit we
n.
atio
rm
info
st
late
for
or call
WWW.SISTERS
MOVIEHOUSE.COM
541-549-8800
Jan. 29 / Fri. / 7 PM
The Notables
17-member swing band
provides rousing live big
band music for dancing and
entertainment.
Jan. 30 / Sat. / 6 PM
11th Annual
Backcountry
Film Festival
Tickets are $10 ~ raffl e
prizes, auction items and
more. For more info go to
backcountryfi lmfestival.org
Feb. 4 / Thur. / 7 PM
Coco Montoya
One of the top-drawing
guitarists and vocalists on
the blues-rock scene!
Feb. 5-6 / Fri.-Sat /
7:30-8:30 PM
Now You’re
Talking: Sisters
One-Acts 2016
7 Plays, 7 Directors,
7 Misadventures
PUB OPENS ONE HOUR
PRIOR TO SHOWS
BelfryEvents.com
Call for Details
541-815-9122
instrumental in restoring
bighorn sheep in Oregon.
ODFW’s annual auction
and raffle of special bighorn
sheep tags have generated
thousands of dollars for their
management and for research
here in Oregon. Groups like
Oregon FNAWS have also
contributed money and time.
Bighorn sheep are one of
the rarest game mammals in
Oregon today. Fewer than
100 bighorn sheep tags were
offered to hunters last year
on a “once-in-a-lifetime”
hunt basis. ODFW also auc-
tions and raffles off a bighorn
sheep tag each year at events
sponsored by sportsmen
conservation groups; pro-
ceeds from the sales benefit
the management of bighorn
sheep.
Entertainment/Arts/Events
Wed.~Jan. 27
The Open Door Live Music
with Keelan Donovan &
Megan Davies 6 to 8 p.m.
For more information call
541-549-6076 or go online to
opendoorwinebar.com.
Thursday~Feb. 4
The Belfry Live Music
with Coco Montoya 7 to
10:30 p.m. $20 online at
bendticket.com or $25 at the
door. World-class blues guitar
master! Info: belfryevents.com.
Thursday~Jan. 28
Friday~Feb. 5
Sisters High School Sisters
Folk Festival Winter
Concert with The Wood
Brothers 7 p.m. Masterful
folk with blues, Americana
and acoustic soul. For info or
tickets call 541-549-4979 or go
to sistersfolkfestival.org.
The Belfry One-Act Plays
7:30 to 8:30 p.m. “Now You’re
Talking” produced by Silent
Echo Theater Co. & Sisters
Classic Old-Time Radio
Experience. $12 adults & $10
seniors/students at bendticket.
com or $15 and $12 at the
door. Info: belfryevents.com.
Friday~Jan. 29
The Belfry Live Music with
The Notables Swing Band
7 to 10:30 p.m. The Big Band
Era comes alive! $8 online at
bendticket.com or $10 at the
door. For more information go
to belfryevents.com.
Saturday~Feb. 6
Paulina Springs Books
Author Reading with Jodi
Schneider McNamee
6 p.m. Jodi will read from
“Raising Rover: Positive Pet
Parenting Solutions for Your
Pooch.” $5 entry refunded
Saturday~Jan. 30 upon purchase of featured
book. Refreshments provided!
Caldera Arts Center Open Info: paulinasprings.com.
Studio at Blue Lake 1 to
3 p.m. Free to the public. Meet Hoodoo Winter Carnival
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 34th year!
the Artists in Residence! For
more info go to calderaarts.org Tube races, contests, bingo &
more! Dummy Downhill at
or call 541-595-0956.
3 p.m. Info: skihoodoo.com or
The Belfry Backcountry
call 541-822-3398.
Film Festival 6 to 10 p.m.
The Belfry One-Act Plays
$10 per person, fi lm starts at
7:30 to 8:30 p.m. “Now You’re
7 p.m. For more information
Talking” produced by Silent
call 541-815-9122, go
Echo Theater Co. & Sisters
to belfryevents.com or
Classic Old-Time Radio
backcountryfi lmfestival.org.
Experience. $12 adults & $10
at bendticket.
Monday~Feb. 1 seniors/students
com or $15 and $12 at the
The Open Door Live Music door. Info: belfryevents.com.
with Linda & Mark Quon 6
Sunday~Feb. 7
to 8 p.m. For more information
call 541-549-6076 or go online
Sisters Library Dr. Rob
to opendoorwinebar.com.
Jeffrey: “Pain – Treatment
Deadline to submit items & Prevention” 1:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Friends of
is 5 p.m. Fridays. Email
teresa@nuggetnews.com the Sisters Library, as part
of the Diane Jacobsen
Speaker Series. For additional
information call 541-549-2107.