Washington Chapter | Foundation for North American Wild Sheep ( FNAWS )

Mountain View Herd

Population Status and Trend Analysis
The Mt. View herd suffered a major Pasteurella die-off during 1996, reducing the herd from 60+ bighorn sheep to less than 20. The management objective will be to restore this bighorn sheep population to 60+ animals.

The Mt. View herd has remained fairly static since the die-off of 1996. The herd has shown signs of recovery the last few years but it appears that only one lamb has survived from the 2002 lamb crop. One dead lamb was picked up from the field and a necropsy later determined that it died of pneumonia.

Habitat Condition and Trend
Over grazing by domestic livestock is still the major habitat problem within the range of the Mt. View herd. Yellow-star thistle is advancing up the Grande Ronde drainage and could inundate this range within the next few years. The future for habitat in this area is very uncertain. Land use practices will be difficult to change.

Disease and Parasites
The pneumonia induced die-off appears to be running the usual course over time. This herd once again is suffering a very high lamb mortality in 2002. Scabies is a continuous problem, and appears to have a greater impact on this herd than others, with the exception of the Wenaha. A die-off that occurred in 1988 may have been induced by scabies, which resulted in high mortality due to pneumonia.

Management Conclusions
The MT. View Herd is struggling due to the Pasteurella die-off that occurred in 1996. This population will not increase significantly until lamb survival reaches 30+ lambs/100 ewes.