Scientists say the population of endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep appears to have stabilized after suffering devastating losses during the record-breaking winter of 2022-2023.
Tom Stephenson, who leads the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, said the number of ewes, or female sheep, counted this summer is about the same as the previous summer.
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Plus, he said, the abundant summer forage helped produce a “good crop” of new lambs — almost 100. And at least some ewes, which are critical for population growth, were spotted in herds that researchers previously feared might have been wiped out.
“Very small numbers,” Stephenson said of those herds. “Nevertheless, even if these populations hang on with a small number of animals, there’s a chance they can rebuild.”
Stephenson estimates the current total population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep at between 380 and 400 animals.
Tom Stephenson heads the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program.
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Bernd Zeugswetter
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LAist
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An average winter is good for bighorn
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are well-adapted to snowy winters at high altitudes, Stephenson said. But several above-average snow years over the past decade have seriously hampered the species’ recovery.
In the summer of 2023, researchers found that half of the bighorn sheep that were being tracked had died in the previous winter. Most were victims of avalanches, starvation, or mountain lions.
Even with new lambs born that summer, the population dropped by 40%.
But this past winter, the snowpack was average, which “for bighorn sheep isn’t bad,” Stephenson said. “They’re well adapted to a good amount of snow.”
Still, overall the population of Sierra Nevada bighorn is about half what it was at the peak of the recovery program, in 2016.
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How did Sierra Nevada bighorn become endangered?
Before European settlers arrived in the 1700s and 1800s, thousands of bighorn sheep are thought to have occupied the Sierra Nevada, from the Yosemite region south to Mount Whitney and the high slopes of Sequoia National Park.
Domestic sheep brought by Europeans passed on disease to the native bighorns, which had no immunity. By the mid-1990s, there were only about 100 Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep left.
Conservationists ramped up efforts to save the species, and they were listed as endangered by the state and federal government in 1999.
A ewe from the Wheeler Ridge herd southwest of Bishop.
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Bernd Zeugswetter
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LAist
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How the bighorn could recover
Two major factors affecting the Sierra Nevada bighorn recovery are climate and predation by mountain lions. As the climate changes, the Sierra Nevada is expected to experience less snow, on average, but also more intense storms.
Both extremes are problematic for the sheep: too much snow means it’s harder for the animals to find food and more likely they’ll get trapped in avalanches, or move to lower elevations where they’re more vulnerable to becoming a mountain lion’s meal.
Too little snow produces less fodder in the summer to feed new lambs and fatten up their parents to withstand the next winter.
Rather than fret about the unpredictable weather, Stephenson said he’s more focused on the other threat — mountain lions. “When it comes to lion management, we do have an ability to influence that,” he said.
In the early years of the recovery program, mountain lions known to target bighorn sheep were regularly euthanized. That approach became politically unpopular — mountain lions are beloved in California — and the program has since shifted toward relocating lions that prey on bighorns to areas outside of the recovery zones.
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But the process of getting permission to relocate a mountain lion can be cumbersome, Stephenson said. “If we could take those actions as soon as we see a threat, that would be a huge benefit to the [bighorn] population,” he said.
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
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Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
More about Mojave High School
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
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So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
