FWP Seeking Applicants for Bighorn Sheep Advisory Group

[Randy11]

This isnt about creating private sheep herds.

Private land adjacent to and inclusive of suitable bighorn range is a lot simpler from a red tape perspective to transplant to than federal lands.

These are examples for conversations sake not actual transplant plans, but imagine if you wanted to restore sheep to the Snowies, Crazies, Bridgers, or any other mixed ownership range. A successful transplant would result in a sheep herd occupying suitable, and currently unoccupied habitat. To physically achieve that, it doesn’t matter who owns the land the sheep are dropped off on, but to legally achieve that there is a major difference in what it takes to do a federal transplant vs a private one.

The department already seeks adjacent landowner support (read the departments documents on the Madison/Hilgard project) to do public land transplants and public land transplants result in sheep on private property just like a private land one would result in sheep on public property.

If there is no federal action, there is no NEPA, from my understanding, which is a major factor in resources and time.

Where does State land and WMA factor in? Is that the sweet spot between fed and private?

 

[MTGomer]

Where does State land and WMA factor in? Is that the sweet spot between fed and private?

I believe so.