Spookable sheep
This is sad news indeed, but after working with the Forest Service on bighorn sheep range studies for three summers in the backcountry, it comes as no surprise (“Competitor of conscience,” Outdoor Rec & Travel 2020). Bighorns are a sensitive and easily spooked genus. Researchers need to make sure their data is rock-solid, do additional studies if needed, consult outside biologists and ecologists, make rational decisions, and set closures which are then policed and enforced. I’m a British Columbia skier, but if the sheep need our support, then we need to make sure they’ve got it. Our playground and backcountry is their home. I’ll deal with the change, but they may not be able to. If you really love nature, then you would mourn the devastation of even a marginal population loss of this animal.
—Jim Hardcastle, via Facebook
