2013 Big Horn Sheep Count

CHC and Placerita Nature Center are combining their efforts to make this project a success. We need YOU to sign up and participate with us. I need to know who is interested in this ASAP so I can give the forest service numbers. This is an annual event that we missed out on last year. Don't let that happen again! Seeing a Big Horn Sheep is one of the huge delights that can be found in the San Gabriel Mountains, so bring your cameras as well!!! Below is the information. Please RSVP to be as reservations need to be handled as a group. Thanks!-Dianne

On Sunday March 10 we will be participating in a Big Horn Sheep Count in the San Gabriel Mountains. If you are interested, let me know. I will be registering us as a group, and I need the count ASAP. We will also be combining this project with Placerita Nature Center! Looking forward to seeing some SHEEP with you all!!!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Mount Baldy area, Lytle Creek
& surrounding canyons
Volunteers will hike to observation sites in the San Gabriel Mountains and count and record all
bighorn sheep observed. Each volunteer group will be led by an experienced observer from the
Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (SCBS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW), or US Forest Service. Survey participants must be at least 16 years old and capable of
hiking one mile on rugged terrain, though most routes will be longer. Most of the hikes are not on
trails, and may involve scrambling over boulders, climbing steep slopes, or bush-whacking through
chaparral. Two sites may be available for those with limited mobility.
The CDFW, Forest Service, and SCBS have been conducting annual surveys for bighorn sheep in the
San Gabriel range since 1979. The mountain range once held an estimated 740 bighorn sheep,
which made the San Gabriel population the largest population of desert bighorn sheep in California.
The population declined over 80% through the mid 1980’s but appears to be on the increase, with
recent estimates showing just over 400 bighorn sheep.
Volunteers must attend a mandatory orientation at 6:00 PM on Saturday, March 9rd at
the Angeles National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 701 N. Santa Anita Ave., Arcadia, CA.
Participants are encouraged to camp and hit the trails early Sunday. Volunteers should bring
binoculars or spotting scopes in addition to hiking gear. Mountain weather can be unpredictable and
volunteers should be prepared to spend several hours hiking and making observations in cold and
windy weather. Sign-ups this year are via Web Page. Please visit: sangabrielbighorn.org to
register and receive a volunteer information packet. If you absolutely cannot access the
internet, please leave a telephone msg. at (626) 574-5287 or (909) 584-9012 so that we may arrange
to get you the information.
For those who wish to camp, complimentary campsites will be available on a first come, first serve
basis at the Applewhite Campground in Lytle Creek on the night of March 9th.