Criteria and Monitoring for Establishing Artificial Bighorn Sheep Water Developments
Project ID: P21AC11174
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Oregon State University
Fiscal Year: 2021
Initial Funding: $30,470
Total Funding: $44,888
Project Type: Technical Assistance
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Mojave National Preserve
Principal Investigator: Combrink, Leigh
Agreement Technical Representative: Hughson, Deborah
Abstract:
Bighorn sheep are an iconic resource of the Mojave Desert and revered by the public at large. The products and/or services identified or developed by this project will help perpetuate bighorn sheep for enjoyment by the visiting public, help maintain true wilderness characteristics, and provide transparent information for education and understanding by the public. The products would also increase knowledge and support for upper management and partners involved with bighorn sheep management.
Performance Goals – Mojave National Preserve finalized a Management Plan for Developed Water Sources in 2019. The plan provides a “…comprehensive strategy and identifies techniques for managing the Preserves water resources in a changing environment, to ensure the preservation of wildlife, historic, wilderness, and recreation values…” (NPS 2018). Management of artificial water sources, or guzzlers, is important for maintaining desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) populations, distribution and dispersal, thus, are an important component of this plan.
The techniques prescribed in the plan for guzzler management involve the potential to relocate two existing guzzlers outside of designated wilderness areas, remove two guzzlers from designated wilderness and develop three new guzzlers, outside of designated wilderness, to assist in metapopulation persistence and movement. The plan also prescribes that these techniques be subjected to “monitoring discovery, use and transition…” The goal of this Agreement is to develop a comprehensive criteria for siting relocated and new guzzlers and a monitoring protocol to determine bighorn sheep discovery, use and transition.