COLORADO SPRINGS, (Scripps News Group) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) biologists, wildlife officers and trained volunteers and staff will spread across Pikes Peak Wednesday as they start their annual look at the population of bighorn sheep.
CPW officials said the survey will document one of Colorado’s most recognizable bighorn sheep herds while helping biologists collect data used to track the herd’s long-term health and population trends.
Before sunrise, observer teams dispersed across Pikes Peak to 10 established survey routes, CPW officials said. Some hiked into remote observation points, while others drove to designated locations off the Pikes Peak Highway.
From certain vantage points, CPW officials said observers scanned surrounding cliffs, alpine slopes and drainages, recording each bighorn sheep’s location, movement, sex and age classification.
Wednesday’s survey is the second of two annual observation days, CPW officials said. Biologists combine observations from both surveys to develop the annual population estimate, helping account for changes in weather, animal movement and other factors that can influence what observers see on any single day.
The annual survey provides a snapshot of the herd’s population. CPW officials said this, combined with decades of survey data, helps biologists monitor long-term population trends, evaluate herd health and develop future management recommendations.
Results from this year’s survey will be released following completion of Wednesday’s survey, CPW officials said.
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