Wednesday, March 1, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
ODFW steps up disease monitoring
SALEM — ODFW is
increasing disease monitor-
ing in California bighorn
sheep throughout Oregon
this year as part of ongo-
ing research with Oregon
State University and the
Western Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies
(WAFWA).
ODFW traditionally relo-
cates sheep each year as
part of a years-long effort to
restore this rare species to its
historic range in Oregon. But
these relocation efforts are
on hold this year while wild-
life managers learn more
about Mycoplasma ovipneu-
monia (M. Ovi, the bacteria
primarily responsible for
infectious pneumonia in big-
horn sheep).
In the last few weeks,
ODFW wildlife biologists
and veterinarians have sam-
pled 54 bighorn sheep in
southeastern Oregon. Paired
with previous year’s cap-
ture efforts, this brings the
total of disease-sampled and
collared California bighorn
sheep to more than 100.
Concerns about how M.
Ovi is impacting Oregon’s
wild sheep populations have
grown since a die-off of
the Lower Owyhee bighorn
sheep herd in 2015-16. Also
that year, the Nevada Dept
of Wildlife made the diffi-
cult decision to eliminate an
entire herd of sick bighorn
sheep just south of Oregon’s
border to stop the spread
of M. ovi to neighboring
populations.
Respiratory disease
has killed numerous wild
sheep in Oregon and other
Western states over the past
few decades and is consid-
ered the largest risk to wild
sheep populations. Once a
herd is infected, an all-age
die off can occur and the dis-
ease remains chronic in the
population.
Disease treatment in free-
ranging populations of sheep
is not practical, so wildlife
managers strive to keep
wild and domestic sheep
and goats separate to avoid
transmission of the disease.
Working collaboratively
through WAFWA and its
Wild Sheep Working Group,
Western state wildlife agen-
cies are also evaluating how
herds respond to the disease,
the risk of translocating ani-
mals between herds infected
with identical strains of the
disease and how to increase
survival rates of wild
sheep.
Disease monitoring
involved taking a variety of
samples from each sheep
after they were captured by
helicopter by Quicksilver
Air. These include blood,
nasal and tonsillar swabs,
and fecal samples looking at
a variety of pathogens affect-
ing bighorn sheep. These
tests can help answer ques-
tions as to whether bighorn
sheep have active infections,
have been exposed in the
past, and how well an indi-
vidual sheep may be able to
fight off infections.
“When we get our hands
on an animal we take full
advantage and try to maxi-
mize what we learn from
it,” says Julia Burco, ODFW
wildlife veterinarian. “These
samples will give us a much
better understanding of the
extent of the bacteria in
Oregon’s sheep, if infections
are active, and if wild sheep
can fight it off and survive.”
Each sheep was also fitted
with a GPS collar to track its
movements.
The samples taken are
now being tested by Oregon
State University Veterinary
Diagnostic Laboratory and
Washington Animal Disease
Diagnostic Laboratory with
results expected later this
month. Samples from previ-
ous years showed there are
different strains of M. ovi
affecting Oregon’s sheep
herds. Testing will also
help determine if the strain
that eliminated the Nevada
herd spread to Oregon’s
sheep.
Successful bighorn sheep
hunters have also provided
samples and helped in track-
ing pneumonia in Oregon
bighorn sheep herds. Of
43 hunter-harvested sheep
tested in 2015, three sheep
from the Owyhee herd were
actively shedding the bacte-
ria. Results from the 2016
hunting season are not yet
available.
Oregon is home to about
3,700 California bighorn
sheep in 32 different herds
in central and southeast
Oregon. There are also
about 800 Rocky Mountain
bighorn sheep in northeast
Oregon.
PROGRAM: Older
children often help
younger ones
Continued from page 1
program is officially in its
first full year, although he
and other staff members have
included transition activities
in students’ days for the past
five years.
“Over the years we have
served youth in a wide variety
of capacities,” he said. “The
goal is to design a program
to meet individual needs as
best as possible while balanc-
ing the needs of the collec-
tive. We currently have eight
active transition students, then
when we do our community
activities we take 13 to 17
students.”
The program provides
training in independent living
skills, career and vocational
training, recreation and lei-
sure, social and interpersonal
issues, community connec-
tions and post-secondary
options.
31
Nordell believes success
comes from a cooperative
approach.
“It’s a group of people who
are willing to work together,
care about each other; willing
to question and challenge each
other, but at the end of the day
knowing we are on the same
team,” he said. “No matter if
you’re an elementary student,
parent or in middle school,
high school or trying to figure
out how to be an adult or in a
position of leadership. We are
in this together, so let’s work
together to do life better.”
Dan Saraceno, a youth
transition specialist who
works with the program, said
older children often end up
helping younger ones. He
said it’s important to teach life
skills to help students become
independent, but job training
is critical too.
“Part of independence
is having employment,”
Saraceno said, adding that
five students in the program
currently earn money by
doing custodial work at the
high school.
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