MANSON — The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin captures of bighorn sheep later this month in three areas, including Manson, to help monitor their use of habitat.
Crews will affix GPS collars to 10 bighorn sheep in the Manson and Sinlahekin herds and will replace five collars on sheep in the Umtanum/Selah herd, Fish and Wildlife said Thursday in a news release.
Bighorn sheep conservation in Washington is challenged by outbreaks of pneumonia and, in some herds, limited knowledge of how they use their habitat, the release said.
“Fitting bighorn with radio collars gives us a better picture of how outbreaks affect the population when they occur,” said Kyle Garrison, a Fish and Wildlife section manager. “The GPS data from those collars also allows us to quantify how they use their habitat, which ultimately helps us manage for quality habitat and healthy bighorn herds.”
