Catalina bighorns are gone, but explanatory signs live on

[Jeffshadows]

Signs at two popular trailheads north of Tucson tout a small herd of bighorn sheep in the Catalina Mountains - and they list hiking restrictions to protect the animals.

Only one problem: The herd apparently has died out.

The signs and restrictions remain, but they apply to what might be described as "phantom bighorns."

"The Catalina population of bighorns is gone," said Jim Heffelfinger, a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "I haven't had any good reports of sheep from the herd up there for seven or eight years."

Heffelfinger said that means the resident herd - which once numbered more than 100 bighorns in the Pusch Ridge area on the southwestern side of the Catalinas - no longer exists. It's still possible that people might spot "transient" bighorns from other ranges from time to time.

A recent reported sighting involved a sheep with a yellow ear tag, Heffelfinger said. That indicates the animal might have been a transient from mountains near Superior, where bighorns have been fitted with yellow tags.

Heffelfinger said likely reasons for the demise of the Catalina herd include:

• Extensive urbanization around the base of Pusch Ridge, with streets and buildings taking over terrain ever nearer bighorn habitat.

• Hikers - especially hikers with dogs - who disturb sheep and "have a slow, pervasive influence on survival and reproduction."

• Heavy growth of brush, a result of former fire suppression policies, that makes bighorns vulnerable to predators such as mountain lions.

"The sheep didn't disappear all of a sudden," Heffelfinger said. "We just saw less and less and less over the years."

He said what turned out to be the last survey of bighorns in the Catalinas, conducted in 1997, found only one animal.

So what about those signs at the Finger Rock Canyon trailhead, at the northern end of Alvernon Way, and the Pima Canyon trailhead, on Magee Road east of First Avenue?

The signs state that "the bighorn herd in Pusch Ridge Wilderness represents the last remnant of herds" that once roamed several mountain ranges around Tucson.

"The Pusch Ridge herd is now in serious jeopardy," the signs say. "Less than 20 bighorns survive in the area."

Such information would appear to be misleading, at best, if nothing is left of the herd. Is it time to take down the signs and drop regulations that prohibit dogs and limit off-trail hiking?

Not yet, say officials of the Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Forest Service.

Heffelfinger and Forest Service spokeswoman Heidi Schewel said one reason for leaving the signs in place is that there's at least some chance that bighorns might be reintroduced into the Catalinas.

"We've been in discussions with Arizona Game and Fish about Pusch Ridge being a possible site" for transplanting bighorns from other parts of the state, Schewel said. "Leaving the signs and restrictions in place seemed like a good idea, given that there might be a reintroduction."

But a reintroduction wouldn't happen anytime soon, Heffelfinger said, because sufficient source populations from other sites aren't available now.

"And if they became available three or four years down the way, the Catalinas probably wouldn't be the first place we put sheep," Heffelfinger said. That's because transplanted animals would face the same conditions that apparently led to the demise of the original herd.

Heffelfinger acknowledged that leaving the inaccurate signs up indefinitely might not be a good idea.

"After a while, it becomes kind of meaningless," he said.

Meanwhile, tourist David Tzeutschler, preparing to take a walk on the Pima Canyon Trail last week with his 3-year-old son, Timothy, chose to take a hopeful approach.

"Maybe we'll see a bighorn," he said to Timothy as the two started up the trail.

On StarNet: Search our online database of Southern Arizona wildlife at

go.azstarnet.com/critters

Did you know

A herd of 50 to 75 bighorn sheep survives in the Silver Bell Mountains, northwest of Tucson, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at 573-4192 or dkreutz@azstarnet.com

[PaleoRob]

Mmm, sad deal. Hopefully they'll be able to reintroduce some sheep there eventually. There's a decent population on the south side of the San Juan.

[azbackpackr]

South side of the San Juan? But wouldn't those be the Rocky Mtn. bighorns, such as we have up here in the White Mtns? Different species...

[joebartels]

Seems reintroducing something that couldn't make it before is destined to fail without changing other factors. Perhaps if they reintroduce the natives to fend off the urbanites it might work.

[PaleoRob]

South side of the San Juan? But wouldn't those be the Rocky Mtn. bighorns, such as we have up here in the White Mtns? Different species...

I don't think so. I think that the San Juan population is of Desert Bighorns. I can't find much info, but there are several references to San Juan County, Utah having Desert Bighorns. I believe that's what's down there as well.

Joe: I agree completely, a reintroduction will fail if the limiting factors aren't addressed. I hope they can get a reintroduction down there, which includes restoring the environment.

[Jeffshadows]

We would have to clear those McMansions outta there for a reintroduction to work; that, and actually enforce the no-dog rule. Neither will ever happen; in fact, the opposite of both is more likely...

[imike]

For years one of the hiking stalwarts on Finger rock trial continued to call in sightings, long after the sheep were gone, just to make sure the trail would stay dog free... and closed off part of the year off trail... I saw sheep there last in 1995 or 1996. After that I ran into more mountain lions than sheep...

[BobP]

After that I ran into more mountain lions than sheep

[imike]

...they were mostly, extremely friendly lions... exceptionally so with one... allowed me to walk within 20' behind her for about 100 yards on the trail...

[Jeffshadows]

I saw one near Finger in '96, as well. Must have been one of the last active seasons...

[azbackpackr]

I saw a male in Pima Cyn, probably after that, but I can't remember. It was after the papers had reported they were probably all gone. When I called Game and Fish to report it, they were skeptical. That guy stood and watched me for a very long time. I got a really good look at him. It was VERY early in the a.m. (I remember when they put that locking gate up at the trailhead, and it would not open early enough for me.)

Tucson breaks my heart.

[Jeffshadows]

Tucson breaks my heart.

Same here, it's growing like a bad mold.

[ssk44]

Hikers - especially hikers with dogs - who disturb sheep and "have a slow, pervasive influence on survival and reproduction.

I'll tell you what disturbs the sheep... A mountain lion with its teeth drove deep into their necks. Un-managed excessive mountain lions are the leading cause for depletion of sheep and mule deer throughout the state. I am hardly an advocate for the elimination of any species but management would be nice. High levels of human population require proper management of predators. Mountain lions are territorial animals. A single male lion may require up to 100 square miles of territory for its home range. One lion will consume about one deer per week.

[dysfunction]

One would think, from that comment, that I should have seen more than one lion in the last 15 years.

[ssk44]

One would think, from that comment, that I should have seen more than one lion in the last 15 years.

Mountain lions are extremely illusive animals that are primarily active at night in populated area. The odds of you seeing a mountain lion is very slim. I have only personally seen them in remote areas of the San Carlos Indian Reservation. In contrast, I do see significant amounts of tracks in the areas that I frequent. Much more so than prior decades.

[writelots]

Mmm, sad deal. Hopefully they'll be able to reintroduce some sheep there eventually. There's a decent population on the south side of the San Juan.

We would have to clear those McMansions outta there for a reintroduction to work; that, and actually enforce the no-dog rule. Neither will ever happen; in fact, the opposite of both is more likely...

I was working on a proposal several years ago for a highly unpopular project that I won't mention here... One of the major concerns was the bighorn population and the protection of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. My research all pointed to the fact that the biologists pretty well agree that there isn't sufficient habitat in the Catalinas right now to maintain a herd - with or without the disruption of hikers or their dogs. The encroachment of development is a much more significant contributer to the decline of the herd. True, hikers don't help, but the footprint of the trail and the impact from it's use is far smaller than the area made sterile by the construction of large housing developments such as Pima Canyon, Saddlebrooke and La Reserve. Pusch Ridge Wilderness was created specifically to preserve the Desert Bighorns - however it failed because it was to small to support a viable herd and because it lacked connectivity to other habitat areas (such as the Tortolitas) where the animals could have migrated to expand their territory and survive disasters such as fires and floods. Without removing these developments and significant mitigation, there's no hope that a herd could really be successful up there. Though there may be a few individuals in the area (mostly male), they're likely to simply die off without a sound.

I would love to be able to take my dog up there - but I'm afraid that we may loose what is still an important piece of wilderness just to satisfy a few dog friendly hikers. I say keep it like it is, and value the area not just as habitat for a single charismatic species, but for it's own intrinsic value and the value of having such a wild, untrammeled area so close to what is a hungry, growing metropolis.

[fricknaley]

I say keep it like it is, and value the area not just as habitat for a single charismatic species, but for it's own intrinsic value and the value of having such a wild, untrammeled area so close to what is a hungry, growing metropolis.

well said

[dysfunction]

One would think, from that comment, that I should have seen more than one lion in the last 15 years.

Mountain lions are extremely illusive animals that are primarily active at night in populated area. The odds of you seeing a mountain lion is very slim. I have only personally seen them in remote areas of the San Carlos Indian Reservation. In contrast, I do see significant amounts of tracks in the areas that I frequent. Much more so than prior decades.

I am aware of that, and see tracks on a regular basis (like every time I go trail running). However, if they are as over populated as you would suggest it becomes less and less likely that they would elude spotting by someone who is pretty much in their environment daily, during hours when they would be active.

Either way, most predatory species will be population controlled based on prey species availability.

[ssk44]

I say keep it like it is, and value the area not just as habitat for a single charismatic species, but for it's own intrinsic value and the value of having such a wild, untrammeled area so close to what is a hungry, growing metropolis.

Yes, well said. Balance is the key but unfortunately a word that is not used much any more. Everything in life is currently taken from one extreme to the other.

[Jeffshadows]

It's really not that untrammeled, IMHO. Finger is beat to death and covered in social trails, as are the first few miles of Pima. Ventana isn't far behind. Don't even get me started on the state of Romero...

Wendy is right, though, the development in the foothills there is the biggest issue. The sheep would come down to the lower elevations to forage and seek water sources. That is now impossible. I find it kind of secretly satisfying that a lot of those stupid McMansions up there at the "Summit at Finger Rock," (Yea...the 'summit' of self-preoccupation, maybe), are currently sitting on the market probably never to be sold. Besides, anyone who can pay the $2.8 million that they want for that piece of dung they just built sticking out of the side of the canyon near Pontatoc Ridge probably isn't a full-time Tucson resident...which makes him or her even more worthy of my contempt.

I hope those stupid houses never sell. The developers can't even afford to keep up the maintenance on the 'community' up there. The last time I walked past that retarded waterfall they built right near the trail head it looked like a ripe swamp and smelled no better. Additionally, the street and landscaping that surrounds was littered with construction debris and the remnants of the primary dietary staple of most of that place's inhabitants - fast food.

As an aside: I'd also like to ask everyone to join me in a new tradition of mooning that dark-colored house just adjacent to the wash in Pontatoc that always seems to have it's windows open with a super-massive plasma TV distracting you from the scenery. Make sure they get a good view (Just kidding...or AM I? )