November 2018
Fundraiser a Success
The 2018 Annual Party and Golf Classic took place November 18th & 19th and was a great success! The two-day event was at Stone Eagle Golf Club, once again, which is an absolutely beautiful venue! At nearly 1,000 feet elevation, Sunday’s Annual Party guests enjoyed incredible valley views while dining on a delectable dinner and drinks and bidding on an array of silent auction items. The evening culminated with an exciting live auction and paddle raise.
On Monday morning, Dave Stockton and the other golf pros gave a professional’s clinic before sending the golfers out on the course. All of the golfers seemed to enjoy their day and we would like to congratulate this year’s winners: Jim Finnerty, Jennie Robinson and Judy Sanders.
Thank you to all of the participants, golf pros, donors, and volunteers who helped make this year’s fundraiser a success! A special thanks to Stone Eagle Golf Club for having us and Dave Stockton for hosting the tournament.
Rut Winding Down
The breeding season, or rut, is coming to a close soon and it’s been another exciting season. The rams will start making their way back into bachelor groups and head for the backcountry. Only the young rams, 1 to 2 years of age, stay with the ewes during the lambing season, which will begin in January. Since there is only one functioning radio-collared ram in our study area from Palm Springs to La Quinta, we see the rams opportunistically during our daily fieldwork. So, if you see them, this is a great opportunity to log your sightings in our Bighorn Institute project in iNaturalist. It helps us keep track of the herds and lets other hikers know where they might see sheep. For instructions on using the free iNaturalist app, visit our website: https://www.bighorninstitute.org/inaturalist-project
Member Hike
In early November, we had our monthly member hike and were fortunate once again with a sighting of 7 bighorn sheep! We’ll take advantage of Carrizo and Dead Indian Canyons one last time for the season and our next Member Hike will be Monday, December 10th at 8:00am. We would love to have you join us, but space is limited, no dogs, and you must RSVP for this first come first served hike. To sign up or for more information, please call us at 760-346-7334 or email us at bi@bighorninstitute.org.
Join Bighorn Institute’s Team
We’re putting together a team of walkers/bike riders for the 2019 Tour de Palm Springs to support the sheep! The event takes place Saturday, February 9th and there are plenty of options for all skill levels. You can walk 1.5 or 3 miles or bike ride 9, 26, 51 or 102 miles. If you register through Bighorn Institute, we get 100% of the proceeds! Not a walker or biker? You can still participate by buying raffle tickets and again, we get all proceeds from raffle tickets we sell. Walk registration is just $15, bike ride registration starts at $25 and raffle tickets are $1 each. You don’t have to be present to win the raffle prizes, just check their website after the event. So, lace up those sneakers or put on that helmet and let’s do this! For more information, call us at 760-346-7334 or email us at bi@bighorninstitute.org.
Christmas Shopping?
Christmas is coming and what better gift to give than one that helps an
endangered species! Here are some unique gift ideas for the person who has
everything:
Give a gift membership to the Institute – memberships start at just $25/year & they can join our member hikes!
Adopt a Bighorn – $100 for a lamb, $150 for an adult bighorn, www.bighorninstitute.org/adopt-a-bighorn
Feed the captive herd for a week - $150
Help track radio-collared bighorn for a month - $600
To donate, please email (bi@bighorninstitute.org) or call us at 760-346-7334.
Recent article:
Bright autumn forecast for the Coachella Valley’s iconic bighorn sheep