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Draft Recovery Plan for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis californiana) May 2003 Region 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland, Oregon Approved: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Date: The Draft Recovery Plan for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep was developed by the State of California, Resources Agency, Department of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with: National Park Service U.S. Bureau of Land Management U.S. Forest Service XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Date: Director, California Department of Fish and Game XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Date: Regional Director, National Park Service XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Date: Regional Director, U.S. Bureau of Land Management XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Date: Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service Primary Author The primary author of this recovery plan is: John D. Wehausen, Ph.D. University of California White Mountain Research Station 3000 East Line St. Bishop, CA 93514 The recovery plan was written with the assistance of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Team (see Acknowledgments). i Disclaimer Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions required to recover and/or protect listed species. We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, publish recovery plans, sometime preparing them with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State and other Federal agencies, Tribes, and other affected and interested parties involved. Recovery plans do not obligate cooperating or other parties to undertake specific tasks and may not represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than our own. They represent our official position only after they have been signed by the Director, Regional Director, or California/Nevada Operations Manager as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery tasks. Literature citation should read as follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2003. Draft Recovery Plan for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. xiii + 147 pp. An electronic version of this recovery plan is also available at http://www.r1.fws.gov/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm. ii Acknowledgments This recovery plan was prepared by the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Team, with important contributions from Mr. Carl Benz, Dr. Vern Bleich, Dr. Walter Boyce, Ms. Paula Brown, Ms. Diana Craig, Dr. Ben Gonzales, Dr. David Graber, Mr. Troy Kelly, Dr. Howard Quigley, Dr. Peter Stine, Mr. Steve Torres, and Dr. John D. Wehausen. The recovery plan benefitted greatly from numerous discussions with Dr. Holly Ernest, Mr. Mike Lawrence, Ms. Kathy Noland, Mr. Christopher Papouchis, Ms. Wendy Philpott, Ms. Lynn Sadler, Mr. Steve Thompson, Mr. John Walter, Mr. Harold Warner, and Dr. David S. Zezulak who also facilitated preparation and compilation of the recovery plan. iii Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Team Stakeholder Team Members Katie Bellomo, People for Mono Basin Preservation, Lee Vining, California Bob Bissell, Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep Paula Brown, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation, Bishop, California Deirdre E. Flynn, California Wool Growers Association, Sacramento, California Joe Echenique, Echenique Livestock Company, Bakersfield, California Gary Guenther, Wilderness Watch, Mammoth Lakes, California Debbie House, Department of Water and Power, Bishop, California Mickey Jarvis, California Cattleman’s Association, Bishop, California Ron Keil, Inyo National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, Bishop, California Brenda Lacey, California Wool Growers Association, Bishop, California Mike Lawrence, Bridgeport Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service, Bridgeport, California Ray Lee, Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, Cody, Wyoming Craig London, Rock Creek Pack Station, Bishop, California Sally Miller, The Wilderness Society, Lee Vining, California Paul McFarland, Friends of the Inyo, Lee Vining, California Kathy Noland, Inyo National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, Bishop, California Chris Papouchis, Animal Protection Institute, Sacramento, California Toni Richards, Bishop Paiute Tribe, Bishop, California Lynn Sadler, Mountain Lion Foundation, Sacramento, California Steve Thompson, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service, California Brian Tillemans, Department of Water and Power, Bishop, California Todd Vogel, Sierra Mountaineering Center, Bishop, California John Walter, The Sierra Club – Range of Light Chapter, Mammoth Lakes, California Harold Werner, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service, California Stakeholder Meetings were facilitated by Dr. John D. Wehausen and Dr. David S. Zezulak. iv Science Team Members Mr. Carl Benz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura, California Dr. Vern Bleich, California Department of Fish and Game, Bishop, California Dr. Walter Boyce, University of California, Davis, California Ms. Diana Craig, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Vallejo, California Dr. David M. Graber, Sequoia – Kings Canyon National Park, Three Rivers, California Dr. Howard Quigley, Hornocker Wildlife Institute, Bozeman, Montana Dr. Peter Stine, Sierra Nevada Research Center, Sacramento, California Mr. Steve Torres, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California Dr. John D. Wehausen, University of California, White Mountains Research Station, Bishop, California Science Team Meetings were facilitated by Mr. Troy D. Kelly and Dr. David S. Zezulak. v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Species Status: The population of bighorn sheep in the Sierra Nevada of California (Ovis canadensis californiana) was listed as an endangered species on January 3, 2000, following emergency listing on April 20, 1999. In 1995 these bighorn sheep hit a population low of about 100 total individuals, distributed across 5 separate areas of the southern and central Sierra Nevada, and had increased to about 125 in 1999. Since then conditions have been particularly favorable for population growth, with the total number of individuals reaching about 250 in 2001. Habitat Requirements and Limiting Factors: These bighorn sheep use habitats ranging from the highest elevations along the crest of the Sierra Nevada (4,000+ meters [13,120+ feet]) to winter ranges at the eastern base of the range as low as 1,450 meters (4,760 feet). These habitats range from Great Basin sagebrush scrub to alpine. Within this range, primary elements of preferred habitats are visual openness and close proximity to steep rocky escape terrain. Forage resources vary greatly across habitats used by these bighorn sheep, and plant species eaten vary accordingly. Of particular importance to population parameters is the nutrient content of forages eaten. Nutrient quality of diets varies greatly with season and elevation and is limited primarily by effects of temperature and soil moisture on plant growth. Because of the relationship between elevation and temperature, low elevation winter ranges provide an important source of high quality forage early in the growing season. Significant population declines beginning in the late 1980's were associated with these bighorn sheep avoiding low elevation winter ranges. This avoidance behavior has been suggested to be linked to increasing predation pressure from mountain lions on winter ranges during the 1980's. Because of population collapses that have occurred since this winter range avoidance began, some of the herds may now be too small to allow the group sizes necessary to provide bighorn sheep the psychological comfort to make use of winter ranges. Longer-term limiting factors have undoubtedly included contact with domestic sheep leading to pneumonia epizootics in the bighorn sheep; domestic sheep grazing adjacent to bighorn sheep ranges has continued to be a significant threat vi in recent decades. Because almost all bighorn sheep habitat in the Sierra Nevada is in public ownership, loss of habitat to human use has not been a limiting factor. Recovery Objective: The objective of this recovery plan is to attain population sizes and geographic distribution of bighorn sheep in the Sierra Nevada that assure long-term viability of the overall population and thereby allow its delisting as an endangered species. Recovery Priority: The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep has a recovery priority number of 3. Recovery priorities for listed species range from 1 to 18, with 1 being the highest priority. The priority system uses the criteria of: (1) degree of threat, (2) recovery potential, and (3) taxonomy (level of genetic distinctiveness). A fourth factor, conflict, is a supplementary element characterizing whether or not recovery actions are likely to be in conflict with construction or other development projects. A priority of 3 has been assigned to the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep for the following reasons: (1) there is a high degree of threat because the population is small in size and its distribution is fragmented; (2) there is a high recovery potential; and (3) the listed entity, as described, is a distinct population (which receives the same rating level as a subspecies). Downlisting Criteria: Potential bighorn sheep habitat in the Sierra Nevada was divided into 17 herd units, and those herd units were grouped into 4 recovery units on the basis of natural breaks in habitat distribution.