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Bighorn Sheep and Helicopter Landings EA Released for Public Comment (Photo: www.parkplanning.nps.gov)

The Inyo National Forest has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposal to authorize the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) to land helicopters in designated wilderness to support the recovery of the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. The EA is now available for a 30-day public review and comment period.

The purpose of this project is to support CDFG in implementation of the 2007 Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Plan, which identifies specific actions needed to downlist or delist the species. Under the Proposed Action, helicopter landings would be authorized in designated wilderness for the purposes of conducting population monitoring and translocation captures of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. Proposed helicopter captures would occur in portions of the Hoover, Ansel Adams, John Muir, Golden Trout, and South Sierra wildernesses. The project would consist of a maximum of 100 helicopter landings per year, with no more than 605 landings over a ten-year period.

How to Comment and Timeframe

Copies of the EA can be obtained from the Inyo National Forest Supervisor’s Office at 351 Pacu Lane in Bishop or on the Inyo National Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=35211. The comment period runs for 30 days beginning Oct. 11.

Comments must be submitted to Leeann Murphy, Wildlife Biologist/Project Manager, 351 Pacu Lane Suite 200, Bishop, CA 93514, or fax 760.873.2458. Comments can be made directly on the project website at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=35211 by clicking on the ‘Comment on Project’ button on the right hand side of the screen. Comments may also be submitted via email to comments-pacificsouthwest-inyo@fs.fed.us, or hand-delivered weekdays 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the above stated address.

For more information please contact Leeann Murphy at 760.873.2450. -Press Release

Dr. Tom Stephenson

… with DFG playing the referee between lions, sheep

Dr. Tom Stephenson knew he was walking into a potentially confrontational situation when he stepped inside the Green Church at Benton Crossing last Tuesday night to present his SNARL (Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory) lecture, and he seemed to try and face the subject matter head on.

“I’m here to present the science tonight, and to give a flavor of what we’re doing on the [sheep] recovery program,” Stephenson explained, “even amid the controversial press that the program has been receiving.”

Stephenson is the California Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Program Leader for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program (SNBSRP). He was referring to the scrutiny that his predator control protocol has received over the last five months.

In February, The Sheet reported that the Public Employees for Environmental Protection group, otherwise known as PEER, had raised concerns about the treatment of mountain lions within the SNBSRP. After hearing from a concerned employee of Stephenson’s, PEER began to look into the way DFG was treating mountain lions in its efforts to grow the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep population. The goal of recovery programs such as the SNBSRP is to grow the population of an endangered species while protecting an intact ecosystem, according to PEER. The issue continues to remain on the table today.

PEER, a national alliance of local, state and federal resource professionals working for environmental enforcement, is arguing that the predator control protocol is acting as a shoot-on-sight management plan targeting mountain lions. Stephenson argues that it’s not so cut and dried.

“It’s really on a case-by-case basis,” he told The Sheet after giving his lecture. “But if a lion is in sheep habitat and intermingling, then it is considered an imminent threat.”

Lions posing an imminent threat to humans, livestock or Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep are the only exceptions to Proposition 117, passed by Californians in 1990, which made it illegal to kill a mountain lion.

One problem, which became apparent during Stephenson’s lecture, is the overlap between Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, and the local mule deer populations. For the most part, mountain lions tend to prey on the mule deer in the Round Valley area. Since the mule deer population is healthy, scientists don’t interfere. The issues arise between December and April when the mule deer herds and the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep herds head to their winter ranges. The ranges of the two species are extremely close together and can even overlap, whereas the summer ranges of the two species are farther apart, with the sheep staying up high in the mountains and the deer coming down into the valley.

Since the mountain lions are preying on the deer, they follow them to their winter ranges. With the close proximity, it seems impossible for the mountain lions to avoid stepping over the imaginary line from deer habitat to sheep habitat when they are hunting.

Since the goal of Stephenson and his team is to grow the population of the sheep and have enough for translocation to other areas, they take predation very seriously. The Southern Recovery Unit, which includes Mt. Baxter and Wheeler Ridge, is doing well on its sheep quota so that is the area where DFG likes to pull sheep for translocation to allotments, like Lundy Canyon that still need to be populated. This area, however, is also the spot where the deer and the sheep overlap the most in the winter, meaning that a lot of mountain lions winter in the Southern Recovery Unit, too.

“We need to be able to pull animals out of the Baxter area where mountain lions are high,” Stephenson explained. “If we could implement more translocations we could reach our numbers in the next decade. Predator removal is the most effective management strategy.”

Stephenson explained that in the early 2000s, during the first several years that the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep were on the endangered species list, DFG didn’t do a lot of predator management.

“We waited for the lions to kill a sheep before taking action,” he said. “The problem was that you can’t collect the GPS data until you get the collar back, so a lion could be out there killing sheep and we wouldn’t know.” The DFG tries to collar every mountain lion adjacent to the sheep recovery units.

The process of wait and see wasn’t working, according to Stephenson.

“Disease is what made the sheep endangered but it’s not what is keeping them down,” he said, “lions are. We need to manage predation for as short of time as possible to get the [sheep] numbers up and make translocation possible.”

Stephenson added that killing lions doesn’t make an impact on the lion population.

“After removing them, they just repopulate the area,” he explained. But not before giving the sheep at least a six month lag time in between. Stephenson estimated that there are approximately 4,000-6,000 mountain lions in California.

“Their entire habitat is occupied,” he concluded.

The recent deluge of rain, accompanied by cooler temperatures, along with intensive work by firefighters, has all contributed to halting the growth of the Sheep Fire, which has burned 8,962 acres (5,837 in Sequoia National Forest, 3,125 in Kings Canyon National Park) during the past two and one-half months.

The Sheep Fire was started on July 16 by lightning in a remote area of Kings Canyon National Park in the southern cliffs above Cedar Grove. Fire growth was predominately to the west and was ultimately contained to reduce smoke impacts. Fire spread to the east was limited by previous prescribed and wildland fires, the south flank of the fire slowed significantly due to scarce fuels and by burnout operations completed by firefighters, and firefighters contained the fire’s northern growth along the Hwy 180 and the Kings River.

Historically fires ignited in the summer months by lightning storms burn throughout the late summer and fall, but these fires are expected to slowly smolder with the cooler and shorter days and eventually be extinguished by further rain and/or snow. The Sheep Fire will ultimately  limit the size and severity of subsequent fires by reducing the amount of dead, woody debris on the forest floor. It will open the canopy allowing sunlight through and encourage the sprouting and re-growth of plants, shrubs and trees. -NPS

Lightning and human sources appear to have set off two new fires, dubbed the Eshom and Atwell fires, which are being actively suppressed by fire crews in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The Eshom Fire, in Kings Canyon National Park near Big Spring, was seven acres as of Friday. The parks-based Arrowhead Hotshots, the Horseshoe Hotshots, Engine 31, Engine 32 and Helicopter 522 crew from Sequoia National Forest are all committed to working on the blazes.

The Eshom Fire was detected the morning of Thursday, Sept. 30, is believed to be human-caused and is currently under investigation. This fire is near private developments along the park’s western boundary and is contained. Crews were continuing to “mop-up” this weekend, cooling and controlling hot areas along the fire’s edge that may threaten the containment line. The steep terrain, however, was presenting a challenge to firefighters.

The Atwell Fire, in Sequoia National Park, is a lightning-caused fire that was one-quarter of an acre in size on Friday. It was discovered late on Thursday, Sept. 30. The fire started below the Mineral King Road and near park developments, including the park stables and ranger station, as well as nearby private communities.

Officers with Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Engine 1160 company, which is providing coverage to Sequoia National Park while Engine 72 was committed to the Sheep Fire, estimated they would have this fire contained by end of day Friday, Oct. 1.

Cedar Grove, Hume Lake smokes advisories lifted

Smoke advisories previously issued for Cedar Grove, Hume Lake and locations within the Kings Canyon National Park area were lifted effective Friday, Oct. 1, based upon improved air quality conditions. The Sheep Fire is located in Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia National Forest in the southern cliffs above Cedar Grove. Smoke from this fire has been impacting the communities of Cedar Grove, Hume Lake and other Kings Canyon locales.

National Parks Service officials report that firefighters have made so much progress containing growth in the fire’s western flank that smoke has significantly diminished over the last several days. They are still advising that visitors to these areas should still expect to see lingering smoke as interior pockets within the fire perimeter continue to burn and smolder. Persons with sensitivities to smoke should take steps to limit their exposure. -NPS

The Sheep Fire Complex has grown to 8,475 acres (5,355 acres in the Sequoia National Forest (including the 25 acre Marvin Fire), 3,095 acres in Kings Canyon National Park). Growth remains predominately to the west, and drifting smoke is still posing problems to some regional air quality indexes.

Fire crews have completed the fire line and burnout operations west of the fire in an effort to contain the active flank. Crews are prepared to hold the fire line as the wildfire edge approaches. Unseasonably warm temperatures and low relative humidity levels have increased fire activity. This weather is anticipated over the fire for the next five days and will be a challenge for holding operations. Four helicopters are dedicated to the Sheep Fire to assist firefighters in holding the western fire line.

Crews continue to hold the fire south of the Kings River along Hwy 180 in Kings Canyon to prevent fire spread north of the Kings River. Fire activity is minimal on the eastern and southern flanks.

Visitors to Hume Lake, Cedar Grove, and locations throughout the Kings Canyon should anticipate significant smoke. Morning inversion is holding smoke in Hume Lake and Kings Canyon. Significant smoke is also being experienced in Cedar Grove.

To view real-time smoke monitoring data for Hume Lake and Cedar Grove, visit www.satguard.com/usfs/fleet.aspx. Hume Lake’s link is labeled “Sequoia NP area.” Fire and associated smoke from the Sheep Fire and
Hume Lake areas can be viewed via the following webcams:
http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/camHist/viewer09.pl?camera=3_mobile_knp_1&lastFrame=true and www.humelake.org/webcams/. For tips on how to reduce exposure to smoke, visit www.airquality.org/smokeimpact/ -NPS

Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks staff are still keeping watch on two fires, the Sheep Fire and the Marvin Fire,which were started by lightning on or around July 16.

Infrared (IR) mapping on Sept. 4 shows the Sheep Fire has grown to 3,915 acres; 2,927 acres are in Kings Canyon National Park, 988 acres are in Sequoia National Forest.

The Sheep Fire is growing predominately to the west. It recently reached the valley floor west of Cedar Grove. Warmer temperatures and lower relative humidity percentages during the past week have increased fire activity creating longer burning periods. The fire is, however, still a lower intensity backing fire. There are currently still no threats to life or property.

The Marvin Fire on the Sequoia National Forest is 15 acres. This fire is burning at a high elevation in rocky terrain near Marvin Pass in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness. Fire behavior includes smoldering with low intensity flame moving in a southeast direction.

Unrelated to those two burns, the Swale Fire, located near Grant Grove, is a human-caused fire. It is one-quarter of an acre and has been suppressed by the Arrowhead Hotshots.

With all fires, managers will make a determination on how to handle each fire based on its location, elevation, and potential for spread, fuels and other variables. Lightning fires that can be safely managed help reduce forest fuels and return the natural cycle of fire to the forest and parks. Fires that threaten lives, homes, or infrastructure are suppressed.

Visitors to Cedar Grove, Hume Lake, and locations within the Kings Canyon in the park and the forest may experience smoke in the late evening and early morning hours. This is based upon inversion patterns that hold smoke in the valley. As the day warms and the inversion breaks, the smoke should lift. The Don Cecil Trail in Kings Canyon National Park (from the trail head at Cedar Grove to the park boundary) is closed for public safety until further notice.

The U.S. Forest Service has issued a temporary area closure for the Sheep Fire on the Hume Lake Ranger District between Horse Corral Meadow and the Kings River and from Horse Corral Meadow east to the boundary with Kings
Canyon National Park. This closure includes the Conoyer Trail. -USFS

Big Horns battle the extinction vortex

“Stochasticity,” Heather Johnson explained, to a packed house at the White Mountain Research Station in Bishop a few weeks ago, “essentially means random or unpredictable.”

And it just so happens that stochasticity isn’t just a fun word to say, it plays a big role in the survival of the endangered Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep, but not as big a role as mountain lions do.

“Most sheep do die from mountain lions,” explained Johnson, who works for the California Department of Fish and Game’s Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep Recovery Program and will be defending her doctoral thesis on the furry subject this spring at the University of Montana. But, she reminded, mountain lion attacks are just part of the “extinction vortex” the region’s wild sheep are fighting against.

Back in 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency placed the Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) on the endangered list. The distinct species of high altitude sheep that was once said to “span the Sierra” was down to about 100 animals scattered in a few remote spots.

Those rugged spots in the High Sierra include Mount Langley, Mount Baxter, Wheeler Ridge and the Mono Basin. Since the EPA is proud to say it’s only lost nine of the nearly 1,300 animal and plant species ever listed as endangered or threatened, the Recovery Program was challenged with the task of finding out why the Big Horn Sheep were literally disappearing off the face of the earth. And this is where the extinction vortex comes in.

The extinction vortex, the sandy-haired Johnson explained, is the downward spiral species take toward annihilation. A process that basically boils down to two factors: stochastic and deterministic stressors.

On the deterministic side, Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep are battling against climate change. For example, heavy summer rainfalls help the species by producing healthier high mountain grasses for the wooly mammals to eat; whereas, heavy winter snowfalls tend to weaken animals and lower reproduction rates.

Genetic variation is another deterministic factor. Since herds of Sierra Nevada Big Horns tend to be small and isolated they’ve lost nearly half of their genetic diversity. Naturally, when you continue to reduce the gene pool, sooner or later, the pool becomes empty.

“There are signs of inbreeding depression, but are we just hosed because of inbreeding? Hopefully not,” Johnson declared.

Amazingly enough, disease spread from domestic sheep, which is a big problem in other western states, isn’t much of a deterministic stressor for the Sierra’s wild sheep. Mountain lions are, however, a huge stressor and part of the problem is that the big cats tend to be a little stochastic themselves.

While other big game prey animals like wolves hunt by picking off the weakest animals they can find, mountain lions are “ambush predators.” Meaning, they attack and eat anything that wanders into range, be it an old ram, a lost lamb or the most prolific ewe.

Big Horn Sheep actually aren’t even the first food of choice for the 21 tagged mountain lions in the region, mule deer are. But in the winter months, the sheep are forced to come down to lower altitudes and almost mingle with the mule deer—and where there are mule deer, there are opportunistic mountain lions. So the sheep are left with one of two choices: risk being eaten or don’t eat. Both, obviously, have significant effects on survival rates.

When you add up all the extinction vortex factors facing the Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep things certainly don’t look stacked in their favor. But looks can be deceiving.

With the exception of the Mono Basin herd, “everybody else is improving,” said an enthusiastic Johnson, who first discovered her enthusiasm about Big Horns eight years earlier, during her Junior year at the University of San Diego, when she heard a talk on the native species of sheep held in the very same room.

To help keep the Mono Basin herd from going extinct, an augment population program was started last year. Six radio-collared pregnant females were added to the herd and Johnson was happy to report that five gave birth and all are still alive.

Other management actions being considered include predator removal—something mountain lion advocates strongly fight against—and prescribed fires to help improve plant growth.

Whatever the action plan includes, there is certainly reason to be hopeful that Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep will be able to overcome the extinction vortex, especially if those working to help save them have the attitude of Heather Johnson. As she said, “We have to find a way to break out of the extinction vortex cycle.”

“The wild sheep ranks highest among the animal mountaineers of the Sierra. Possessed of keen sight and scent, and strong limbs, he dwells secure amid the loftiest summits.”-John Muir, The Mountains of California

Photo courtesy McKenna