Bighorn plan approved

The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has gotten approval for the first-ever statewide plan for managing bighorn sheep in Montana. The FWP Commission last week approved the plan, which seeks to keep better tabs on bighorns in the state and find new habitat for the animal. Today there are 5,700 bighorns in 45 herds in Montana, and FWP estimates the population could be expanded by almost 1,000. The conservation strategy won approval from some bighorn advocates, who said it gave clear direction to state biologists on how to keep the bighorn population viable. However, it was criticized by others for handing too much power to domestic sheep producers when it comes to finding new habitat for bighorns. Bighorn sheep can contract pneumonia and other diseases from domestic sheep, and wildlife officials manage bighorns to keep them away from domestic sheep. At issue is a line in the plan that ensures woolgrowers FWP will not lobby federal land managers to remove domestic sheep from public land in order to make room for bighorns, unless the rancher is on board with the plan...read more