DUBOIS – The bighorn sheep of the Whiskey Mountain herd south of Dubois have generated legendary status in Wyoming and much of the West, but now the people behind their management have also garnered some well-deserved recognition.

          The Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Technical Committee was honored in March at the 71^st North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Columbus, Ohio with a Conservation Project of the Year Award from the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service for nearly 40 years of interagency cooperation and stewardship.

          The technical committee was formed in 1969 and consists of local BLM and Shoshone National Forest wildlife biologists and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s wildlife biologist, habitat biologist and Dubois game warden. Since its inception, 24 people served on the committee from the three agencies. 

          Over the years, approximately 2,000 bighorns from the herd have been trapped and transplanted to bolster other herds or repopulate native range in Wyoming and seven other western states. The herd has also provided recreation for hundreds of hunters and their associates and thousands of wildlife viewers.

          To celebrate the national recognition, the technical committee held a reunion of past and present members at Whiskey Mountain May 4.

          Lander Region Wildlife Management Coordinator Tom Ryder reflected on the reunion. “It was great to see all these dedicated people get together and reminisce about the old days and give advice about the future,” Ryder said.  “These folks have a lot to be proud of and I’m glad to know ‘em.”

(contact: Brad Meyer)

(photo available upon request)

-WGFD-