Ron Henry Strait: TPW's sheep have come in
Web Posted: 11/18/2006 07:25 PM CST
San Antonio Express-News
There are a thousand reasons this morning to celebrate the return of the desert bighorn sheep to West Texas.
At the top of the list is the success of the state's bighorn restoration program as directed by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Starting from scratch 40 years ago with a lot of desert habitat and no sheep, TPW reached a milestone this summer that is a testament to the agency's work in wildlife restoration.
"We observed 822 (desert bighorn) sheep in our summer surveys," said Mike Pittman, TPW biologist and project leader on three state wildlife management areas in the Trans-Pecos Region: Elephant Mountain, Sierra Diablo and Black Gap.
The surveys were conducted in August from aircraft.
"That's 822 sheep that we actually saw," Pittman said. "We know there are pockets of sheep scattered around that we didn't see, so I'd say a conservative population estimate is 1,000 sheep.
"That's a conservative estimate," he repeated.
That many desert bighorns take up ever-expanding territory, and it's good news of course, but it comes with concerns rooted in an exotic sheep species — the Aoudad, a Northern Africa native that came to Texas several decades ago.
One of the places that the Aoudad has set its roots is in Big Bend National Park, which is near TPW's Black Gap WMA.
Big Bend National Park and Black Gap WMA are prime desert bighorn sheep habitats.
Two of the concerns that arrived with the intrusion of the exotic sheep into bighorn country are disease and the competitive nature of the Aoudads.
Desert bighorns are susceptible to many diseases that are carried by Aoudads and, in some cases, the exotics have forced bighorns away from food and water sources.
"We have seen reports that some of the Black Gap (bighorn) sheep are moving into Big Bend," said David Wetzel, president of the Texas Bighorn Society. "The Aoudads are a disease threat. We know they take over at (watering sites.)"
Pittman confirmed the report: "There are small groups of (bighorn) sheep from Black Gap that are moving into Big Bend. We think its between six and 15 animals."
The growing herd needs space.
Pittman said that Aoudads will chase all competition away from watering sites, and they have forced bighorns down into the foothills and flats around the Persimmon Gap entrance to the national park.
For 25 years, the society has been very involved in protecting and enhancing bighorn habitat, and foothills and flats are not where bighorns thrive.
The group sees competition from non-native species such as the Aoudad as a barrier to the expansion of the state's bighorn herd and it wants the Big Bend Aoudads gone.
The National Park Service also is concerned about the presence of non-native species at Big Bend and has an open comment period on a plan to remove exotics from the park.
"Open comment" means you, and those comments can be sent at parkplanning.nps.go
v. The comment period continues through Dec. 10.
The society would appreciate the public's support of the plan. That goes a thousand-fold for Texas desert bighorn sheep.
Float trip: The Devils River is a crystalline waterway that meanders through the desert west of Del Rio.
It is a spectacular piece of water, a cold blue ribbon in a dusty brown land, and it is home to some of the state's biggest smallmouth bass.
Because of its remote location and difficulties in navigating its many shallow rapids, the river doesn't get a lot of pressure. It does get the attention of a few outfitters, though, among them Kevin Stubbs, who has rafted and fished the Devils River many times.
Stubbs will make a presentation on his adventures on the Devils at the monthly meeting of the Alamo Fly Fishers at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church, 6201 Broadway. The public is welcome.
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rstrait@express-news.net 
