***SOLD OUT***

This is your chance to be a part of conservation history! The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) in partnership with Nevada Bighorns Unlimited (NBU), KUIU CONSERVATION DIRECT, Grand Slam Club Ovis (GSCO), Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, Fallon NBU and others will be capturing and translocating Desert Bighorn Sheep from the Muddy Mountains in Southern Nevada. In June 2025, approximately 150 desert bighorn sheep will be translocated to various sites including the Tobin and Cortez Ranges in Nevada as well as Promontory Point in Utah. Each bighorn sheep will be equipped with a GPS collar that will assist NDOW in monitoring efforts*.

This is your opportunity to have direct participation in a historic bighorn reintroduction by helping fund a portion of 30 GPS collars. Collar donations levels are 1/10 ($200), 1/4 ($500), 1/2 ($1,000) or full collar ($2,000). Your name will be written on a collar that will be fitted onto a bighorn sheep. Collar donation participants will receive an official conservation certificate and memorabilia items. This is a tax-deductible donation to a charitable organization and a receipt will be provided in your conservation package. 

The desert bighorn sheep that occupy the Muddy Mountains in Unit 268 make up one of the most prolific populations in Nevada. However, recent prolonged drought has impacted habitat quality and water availability in this area. Viable translocation sites are currently very limited in Nevada due to widespread presence or threat of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovi), a respiratory pathogen responsible for limiting bighorn populations across their range. Currently, M. ovi has not been detected in the Muddy Mountains.

The Tobin Range sheep are both PCR and ELISA negative, making them a candidate for release. The Cortez Range is currently unoccupied, and reintroduction was approved by the BLM via Categorical Exclusion in April 2025. Since 2022, NDOW has collaborated with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) to translocate desert bighorn sheep to establish and maintain a disease-free nursery herd in Utah. 

Thank you for supporting this effort!

*GPS location information will NOT be made available to collar donors (per Nevada NRS 503.010).