Thompson Falls to host May 15 meeting on wild, domestic sheep
A bighorn sheep ram looks down from its rocky perch Sunday as hikers walk past on a trail paralleling the Kootenai River.
BOZEMAN — A series of free, public meetings will be held in Montana communities in May to discuss the Wild and Domestic Sheep Comingling Project.
The initiative studies the risks of contact between bighorn sheep and domestic sheep and goats and explores tools to maintain effective separation between species to mitigate or prevent disease- related issues.
The meetings will be hosted by Montana State University Extension in collaboration with biologists from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
In Northwest Montana, the Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls will host a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15. The lodge is located at 2519 Industrial Way. All meetings are free and open to the public, and registration is not required.
“Our meetings embrace a participatory, transparent research model, inviting all stakeholders to co-produce solutions,” said Jared Beaver, MSU Extension wildlife specialist.
Beaver said project managers are seeking to build broad support and participation in the initiative across Montana’s sheep community. They are recruiting producers to participate.
“Wild and domestic sheep interactions and respiratory disease affect lamb growers, wool producers, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts alike,” Beaver said. “True co-production and community engagement are essential to meet the needs of our study.”
Managing wild and domestic sheep interactions creates unique biological, social and cultural challenges, he added.
Project managers look to capture the full story by partnering with communities.
“Our project will generate innovative management strategies that benefit producers, wildlife managers and sheep, both domestic and wild,” said Beaver.
Additional support for these meetings is provided by the Montana Wool Growers Association and the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation.