Bighorn sheep were the beneficiaries of a lot of hard weekend labor August 20-21, 2005 as five three-person teams restored 12 existing water catchment devices, or guzzlers, high on the Lost River Range.  SCI Conservation Committee member Bruce Mincher of Idaho was a member of one of the five repair teams (three people in each team) that were transported by helicopter high above timberline to prepare each site, and materials were then flown in and installed.  The project was a joint effort of sportsmen working with the Forest Service and Idaho Fish and Game.

Mike Foster, biologist for the Lost River Ranger District, talked about the importance of these guzzlers for bighorn sheep.  “What the guzzlers basically do is provide a water source during the late summer when other water sources (such as snowpack) have disappeared.  They open more habitat for bighorn sheep to use.”  Mike added “We’ve seen sign around the water tanks where sheep and in some cases elk and deer are using them.”

 In addition to SCI, team members were sportsman volunteers representing the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep

(FNAWS), Idaho Fish and Game, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF).  Mike Foster supervised the project, and Jerry Walters and Will Marcroft coordinated the effort.  The Lost River fire crew assembled tool packages and loaded and transported the guzzler lids and hardware to repair sites.  The crew included helitack teams from Challis, Idaho and Vernal, Utah.

The effort required two full, hard days of labor.  Eleven of the guzzlers required new lids, lid brackets, and external drinker tanks; one guzzler was completely replaced.  Volunteers alone contributed nearly 200 hours of their weekend time.  Premier Technology, an engineering firm from Pocatello, provided approximately $18,000 in materials design, and a number of sportsmen’s organizations each ‘sponsored’ one or more guzzlers.  SCI donated the entire cost of one guzzler, ($2,750) to help support this project; other donors included Idaho FNAWS, Iowa FNAWS, OVIS/Grand Slam Club, and the Forest Service’s ‘Full Curl’ program.  The Forest Service, Idaho Fish and Game, and national FNAWS and supported the project with manpower and financial support.

Volunteer Bruce Mincher of Safari Club summed up his reasons for volunteering: “We’ve had some pretty dry years here in Idaho, which have affected lots of our wildlife populations.  Supplying water to bighorn sheep is of interest to all of our members.”

 As Mike Foster put it, the benefits go far beyond bighorn sheep.  “It’s my impression, talking to the folks that live here (in Mackay), they’re tickled to death with the effort.  They look forward to again being able to see bighorn sheep in this area.  Obviously, hunters bring money to the community, but more importantly people enjoy seeing wildlife, especially an animal like bighorn sheep.”