FOURMILE CREEK – A swath of Colorado’s most fire-ravaged forest last week became home to a band of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, a species that has made the best of degraded land before.
Across the western U.S., Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep have been hammered by respiratory disease, some of it spread from domestic livestock, and other stressors, such as development eclipsing their habitat and competition with non-native mountain goats for terrain.
A statewide sheep population estimate from 2001 of 8,000 this week was revised to 7,600.
But bighorn sheep are revered here as Colorado’s official state animal.
A journalist and lawyer, Bruce Finley has investigated local, national and international issues with on-site reporting in more than 40 countries. In his position as a staff writer for the Denver Post, he is focusing on environment-related news including water challenges, the oil and gas boom and wildfire.
