Brown Bag Lunch Talk: Spanish Peaks Bighorn Sheep

Bring your lunch and join Gallatin-Big Sky Weed Committee and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to learn about the Spanish Peaks bighorn sheep herd.

One of the most common wildlife sightings in Big Sky are the Spanish Peaks bighorn sheep along the roadsides of Lone Mountain Trail and Highway 191. These high-country ungulates utilize the steep, bare slopes for both winter and summer habitat. Bighorn sheep live a precarious existence, as they are susceptible to large die offs from diseases and difficult winters. For the Spanish Peak herd, surviving winter is made more difficult due to the invasion of noxious weeds.

In an effort to improve bighorn sheep habitat and educate the public about the impacts of noxious weeds on wildlife, the Gallatin-Big Sky Weed Committee has partnered with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and other agencies to improve range conditions.

Wildlife biologist Julie Cunningham will discuss bighorn sheep life cycles, breeding biology, threats and risks to the herd, and the importance of winter range to the bighorn. Learn how noxious weeds and the management of private lands can have a long lasting impact on wildlife.

Dessert will be provided courtesy of the Wild Sheep Foundation.