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Stone's Sheep Range Condition in Northern BC - Year 1 Report
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2025
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Stone's sheep in the Russel, Swannell, and Tatlatui ranges represent an ecologically and culturally significant population facing multiple conservation challenges. Recent surveys suggest significant declines, with the Russel Range population potentially reduced by 50% since 1993, though data gaps in movement, habitat use, and population dynamics hinder effective conservation actions. This collaborative four-year initiative addresses these critical knowledge gaps through integrated monitoring of sheep health, seasonal range assessment, and forage quality analysis. By deploying GPS collars on ewes, we will delineate herd boundaries and identify key seasonal ranges while simultaneously tracking individual body condition (rump fat reserves) to determine how habitat quality influences overwinter survival, and how that in-turn may impact individuals and population growth. Our collaborative project, initiated in 2022, builds upon limited historical data to address knowledge gaps in seasonal range use, nutritional limitations, and population drivers.
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wsi_6477_rpt_2022-2023.pdf
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