Emergency Strategy Session To Address Dall Sheep

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) announced an emergency strategy session to address recent declines in some of Alaska’s Dall’s sheep populations. The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 12th, during the Foundation’s annual Sheep Show® in Reno, Nevada.

Heavy snowfall in recent winters, followed by warming, melting and then freezing temperatures in some regions of Dall’s sheep range have made it hard, and in some cases, impossible for Dall’s sheep to access their food sources. Reports of Dall’s sheep populations in some ranges in Alaska having die-offs of up to 70 percent, with another heavy snowfall winter in the forecast, have necessitated this call to action.

“Losing sheep for any reason gets our attention,” explained Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “The impacts from the previous two tough winters were reported on in detail at our May 2022 Thinhorn Summit in Whitehorse, Yukon. Next month’s meeting in Reno is all about putting bold actions on the table and pulling the trigger.”

The meeting will be from 10:30 am to 11:30 am PST in Room A8 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on Day 1 of the 2023 Sheep Show®. Notification is being sent to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Alaska Board of Game, Alaska Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, Alaska Professional Hunters Association, Alaskan guides and outfitters exhibiting at the Sheep Show®, Alaska Safari Club International, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and other stakeholders with knowledge of what can and needs to be done, to assist Dall’s sheep in Alaska.

Others interested in joining can do so via Zoom at this link.