LARAMIE – The recent appeal decision issued by the Chief of the Forest Service on the Medicine Bow National Forest included an important victory for bighorn sheep populations on the Medicine Bow, ruling that more must be done to protect the struggling population from disease. The Chief’s decision affirmed a claim brought by Biodiversity Conservation Alliance that the new Forest Plan failed to maintain viable populations of bighorn sheep on all three mountain ranges where they occur, as required by federal regulations. The decision stated that the Medicine Bow National Forest had failed to protect the Encampment Canyon bighorn herd in the Sierra Madre Range from deadly disease by failing to keep domestic sheep separated from wild bighorns.

“This is an important victory for bighorn sheep on the Medicine Bow, and gives hope that our bighorn populations will be able to survive and thrive in the future,” said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist for Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “The Chief’s decision is a key recognition that the Forest Service must take action to promote the survival of bighorn sheep throughout the Medicine Bow, not just in areas where it is easy and convenient.”

The appeal decision cited to agreements between the Forest Service and BCA on the science of bighorn sheep viability, which shows that contact between herds of wild bighorns and domestic sheep spells disaster for the bighorns. The Chief’s decision quoted conclusions by bighorn sheep biologist Valerius Geist that “Domestic sheep are virtually toxic to bighorn sheep,” and recommendations from the Colorado Division of Wildlife that “segregating bighorn and domestic sheep on native ranges remains the single most effective management tool for preventing pneumonia epidemics in free-ranging bighorn sheep.”

The decision directs the Regional Forester to manage domestic sheep grazing regimes to ensure separation from wild bighorns, taking into consideration recommendations from the Wyoming State-wide Bighorn/Domestic Sheep Interaction Working Group. It will likely result in Forest Plan changes which will include additional protections for bighorn sheep that promote the long-term viability of herds in the Laramie Peak and Encampment Canyon areas.

“We’re looking forward to working with the Forest Service to develop protections that will guarantee that bighorn populations can thrive, while still being fair to grazing permitees,” added Molvar.

The Chief’s appeal decision also stripped away landscape-scale measures to prevent motorized use in backcountry areas slated for non-motorized recreation, and repudiated demands from some county governments that large-scale logging be considered to increase water yield.

Erik Molvar, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, (307) 742-7978