Stone's Sheep Study in B. C. Link

[BigHornRam]

Keeping Debehe on the Mountains - Tahltan Central Government https://share.google/DzMjrPM0xt6CHPK12

Good video within the link by one of the Cabela family heirs. His guide, Dawson, was a young 20 something guide when I hunted Stone sheep in 2002. Nice guy, and good to see he is still doing it today.

 

[jimss]

That is an excellent article on benefits of well planned, precision prescribed burns, however; wildfires and prescribed burns aren't always beneficial. Large scale, high intensity burns can be detrimental to wild sheep, muledeer, elk, and other wild game species habitat. In fact, some areas across the West where cheatgrass has invaded natural areas has gone from 30 to 100 year wildfire intervals with mosaic, low intensity burns to 5 to 15 year cycles with high intensity burns. Desirable native browse species are often negatively impacted by both fire intensity and cheatgrass invasion and expansion. The following mule deer foundation article states the devastation that can occur from cheatgrass-fueled wildfires.

Cheating Mule Deer in the Sage - IWJV

“There are excellent wildlife managers out there and we can do our part in supporting their efforts by advocating for sufficient funding and policy measures to keep conservation happening. The Mule Deer Foundation is proud to partner with them across the West."

iwjv.org

Here are a few inserts from the wild sheep article:

“A healthy fire brings balance back to systems that have been out of sync for generations,” Mason said.

However, achieving that balance requires precision.

“Every decision from temperature and humidity to wind and fuel moisture determines whether you get a slow, creeping fire or one that burns very hot,” he said. “Outcomes are never totally predictable, but when it’s done right, the benefits can last for years.”

Each burn has its own prescription, a plan dictating the exact weather, wind, and moisture conditions under which ignition can occur. If the forecast shifts or the humidity drops too low, the fire is postponed.

“For thinhorns, your Stone’s and Dall’s sheep, you’re looking at natural fire return intervals of roughly one hundred fifty to three hundred years,” Jex said. “Fire just doesn’t play the same role there. The plant communities recover more slowly, and many species of thinhorn rely on them and don’t come back quickly. They feed on more than a hundred different plants. After a massive burn, you might get a quarter of those back. So, in some areas, fire can do more harm than good.”

Large wildfires in recent years have also changed the equation.

“When you get these broad-scale fires, you create a flush of forage that draws in elk and bison,” Jex said. “And where those go, wolves, bears, and cougars follow. You end up with more predators in sheep country.”