US Forest Service
San Bernardino National Forest
Front Country Ranger District
1209 Lytle Creek Road Lytle Creek, CA 92358
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FS Media Contact: Kathie Meyer (909) 382-2874
Volunteers Needed for Bighorn Sheep Survey
Lytle Creek, California - January 26, 2010 - Volunteers are needed on March 13 and
14, 2010 (Saturday evening and all day Sunday) to assist in an annual bighorn sheep
survey in the San Gabriel Mountains.
The California Department of Fish and Game, US Forest Service, and the Society for
Conservation of Bighorn Sheep have conducted surveys for bighorn sheep in the San
Gabriel range annually since 1979. The mountain range once held an estimated 740
bighorn sheep, which made the San Gabriel population the largest population of desert
bighorn sheep in California. The bighorn population declined over 80% through the
1980’s but appears to be on the increase with recent estimates yielding approximately
350 animals.
No survey experience is necessary to participate but volunteers must attend a
mandatory orientation on Saturday, March 13th at 5:00 PM at Day Creek Intermediate
School in Rancho Cucamonga.
Volunteers will hike to designated observation sites in the San Gabriel Mountains early
Sunday morning to count and record bighorn sheep. Volunteer groups will be led by a
representative from either the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep, California
Department of Fish and Game, or the Forest Service. Participants must be at least 16
years old and capable of hiking one mile in rugged terrain, although some survey routes
are longer. In general, hikes will not be along trails and accessing survey points will
involve scrambling over boulders, climbing up steep slopes, and/or bush-whacking
through chaparral.
Observers should bring binoculars or spotting scopes as well as FRS/GMRS radios (if
they have them) in addition to hiking gear. Mountain weather can be unpredictable and
participants should be prepared to spend several hours hiking and additional time
making observations in cold and windy weather. Volunteers will need to start hiking
early Sunday morning. For those who wish to camp, complimentary campsites will be
available to volunteers on a first-come-first served basis at the Applewhite Campground
in Lytle Creek on the night of March 13th, 2010.
Please call the Lytle Creek Ranger Station at (909) 382-2875 by March 5th, to sign up
and receive a volunteer packet.
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Annual Bighorn Sheep Survey March 13/14
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cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
I participated in this last year, and it was great. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the local wildlife. Even the mandatory "class" on Saturday is good - actually, that's where you'll learn the most about sheep and how to track and spot them.
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cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
Sheep jokes are baaaaaaaaaad.
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cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
I can't make it this year. Last year, the hikes were all around Baldy (lower elevations like Sunset fire road, down in Cattle Canyon, etc), then Lytle Creek, Cucamonga....trying to think of the others. They had some groups do some nutty off-trail, super steep hikes, and they love people who can do that. (they don't get many of those - they do get a lot of older folks who can only go on easier trails).HikeUp wrote:Anyone planning on participating this year? What areas does the survey cover (i.e. where do we get to hike?)? I wonder if some areas are within the closure.
I didn't see any sheep in my group, but watching the helicopter maneuver through the canyon was really cool.
I don't think any of the areas would be in the closure. The fire didn't really affect their range. Just touched the edge of it as it got close to Twin Peaks. But I'm sure the fire will still affect their numbers, and they will be looking at that closely. I assume it pushed more predators into their range, and that combined with the loss of so many deer in the fire might mean a lot of sheep are getting chomped.