MOAPA VALLEY — Valley of Fire State Park’s desert bighorn sheep are thirsty. Thirstier than they’ve been in a while.
Though Las Vegas’ 214-day dry streak — the second-longest on record — ended this month, the park’s population of bighorn sheep has been among the hardest hit by drought, requiring intervention from state wildlife officials for the third year since 2021.
“We have so many sheep here that water can become an issue,” said Doug Nielsen, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “It can have a dramatic impact.”
Without manmade reservoirs called guzzlers that were built in the late ‘80s, desert bighorn sheep probably wouldn’t call Southern Nevada’s dry Muddy Mountains home, said Joe Bennett, a wildlife staff specialist with the state Wildlife Department. They might seek a less harsh environment closer to water.
The department invited reporters to observe a water haul Friday to fill up one of the eight guzzlers within the state park. Using thousands of gallons of water from the Moapa Valley Water District, a helicopter brought water to the remote reservoir with a bright orange Bambi Bucket, or a hanging bucket that scooped water into the air for transport.
Prior to 2020, water hauls weren’t necessary nearly as often because of monsoon seasons that delivered lush desert flora — or the “groceries on the ground” that serve as a water source for bighorn sheep, as well.
As the Silver State trends drier and hotter, the expensive practice of hauling water begs the question: Can Nevada’s iconic state animal survive climate-change-fueled drought?
“Maybe the answer is that we just can’t sustain the same density of sheep in the Muddy Mountains that has been sustained historically because, quite frankly, the resources aren’t there,” Bennett said.
Costly endeavor, relocation on horizon
Water hauls aren’t cheap, and they aren’t a long-term fix for the state’s bighorn sheep management problem.
The cost of operating a helicopter alone is about $1,000 an hour, Bennett said, and the entire day can put the department out of between $10,000 and $15,000. The decision to trigger a water haul can happen more than once a year, depending on sheep density and the level of the reservoir, he said.
“It’s not our intention to let them die in dehydration,” Bennett said. “That’s why we’re out here conducting these expensive, labor-intensive water hauls. We understand the bighorn sheep: It’s very symbolic to people, it’s our state animal, and people really enjoy seeing them.”
At a state Wildlife Commission meeting in January, biologists spoke of the need to consider the relocation of some sheep to areas where they may have a better chance of survival.
No certain number exists for how many may be relocated, but officials said about 100 of them may be captured and released in other parts of Nevada or even Utah.
The herd within Valley of Fire isn’t one that has experienced pneumonia, a disease that has infected some of the state’s herds in recent years. That complicates finding a new home for these sheep, because they will have to find an area where herds are disease-free, Bennett said.
“We’re going to maintain what we can, make sure water is provided, and then try to find options where they can be more successful,” he said. “We’re exploring all of our options.”
Pat Cummings, president of the Las Vegas-based Fraternity of Desert Bighorn organization that works regularly with the state Wildlife Department on these issues, was at one of the park’s guzzlers Friday. He installed a sensor that allows officials to remotely track water levels and determine if or when another water haul may be appropriate.
Cummings said his organization has kept tabs on changes to the desert environment — ones that he hopes, for the sheep’s sake, aren’t forever.
“What is undeniable is we’re seeing changes in temperature and moisture regimes,” said Cummings, a retired state Wildlife Department biologist. “If we’re in a brief cycle, we’ll get through it. But if we don’t, and it’s signaling a lasting trend, then we’re going to see a less productive range.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
