PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE RECORDS SHATTERED!

June 30th marks the close of our 2022-2023 fiscal year, and with this summer issue of Wild Sheep®, the start of a new one. And what a year it has been.

As reported in our summer and fall 2022 issues, we kicked off the year last July with a re-envisioned and revised Grant-In-Aid (GIA) process which fully engages our chapter and affiliates in the process as participating stakeholders. We also changed our focus with WSF targeting larger, bolder, and multi-year legacy projects from $50,000 to $250,000+ while encouraging our chapter and affiliate partners to fund the smaller ones and/ or support the larger projects that WSF funding acts as a catalyst.

During the past twelve months we have funded and executed on the following:

1. Prescribed Burns for Wild Sheep Enhancement in NE British Columbia C&A Partners: Wild Sheep Society of B.C.

Approved Grant: $250, 087

2. Oregon/Idaho/Washington Test & Remove Bighorn Sheep Program C&A Partners: Idaho WSF, Oregon WSF, and Washington WSF (Tri-State)

Approved Grant: $177,000

3. California Bighorn Sheep Population Analysis, Test & Remove, Health and Disease Surveillance in Idaho, Oregon & Nevada (ION Initiative) C&A Partners: Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, Idaho WSF, Oregon WSF

Approved Grant:.......................................................................................................................................................................................... $152,450

4. Socorro (New Mexico) BLM Field Office – Landscape-Scale Water Projects C&A Partners: New Mexico WSF

Approved Grant: $106,000

5. Fraser River (British Columbia) Year Five Surveillance, Recovery, & Management C&A Partners: Wild Sheep Society of B.C.

Approved Grant: $100,000

6. Hart Mountain (Oregon) Bighorn Sheep Recovery C&A Partners: Oregon WSF Approved Grant: $100,000

7. Bighorn Sheep Restoration to Nebraska Panhandle C&A Partners: Iowa FNAWS, Alaska WSF, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, California WSF, Idaho WSF, Midwest Chapter WSF, Montana WSF, New Mexico WSF, Oregon WSF, Texas Bighorn Society, Utah WSF, Washington WSF & Wild Sheep Society of BC

8. Field Testing and Management Application of Canine Disease Detection West Wide C&A Partners: Montana WSF

9. Harcuvar Mountains (Arizona) Desert Bighorn Sheep Restoration C&A Partners: Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society

10. Wind River Reservation (Wyoming) Feral Horse Gathering C&A Partners: Wyoming WSF Approved Grant:

11. Trap,Test,Transplant Desert Bighorns from Al Campo to Sierra El Alamo (Sonora, Mexico) C&A Partners:Texas Bighorn Society

12. Water Distribution & Delivery System – Sierra El Alamo (Mexico) C&A Partners: Texas Bighorn Society

Chronic Carriers & Bighorn Sheep Population Density: Evaluation/Implementation of Management Tools (Wyoming) C&A Partners: Wyoming WSF

Desert Bighorn Sheep Collaring on Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) for Improved Population Management (NV)

Partners: Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn

Approved Grant:............................................................................................................................................................................................ $19,500

15. Edit Transmission Film for Legislator Education & Advocacy C&A Partners: Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia Approved Grant:.............................................................................................................................................................................................. $7,600

16. Ungulate Enhancement in Yukon Territory

C&A Partners:Yukon Outfitters Association and Yukon WSF Approved Grant:............................................................................................................................................................................................ $25,000

17. Ungulate Enhancement in British Columbia – Peace Region C&A Partners: Northern Guides Association Approved Grant:.......................................................................................................................................................................................... $100,000

With this $1.347 Million in conservation GIA, added to the $1.44 Million in advocacy, research, education, and industry support GIA funding, plus the $4.47 Million that was directed to our state, provincial and tribal/First Nation partners through 2023 conservation permit sales, WSF is on track to direct more than $7 Million to mission programs benefitting and conserving wild sheep —a new record in FNAWS’/WSF’s 46-year history! This also represents the fifth year in a row that WSF has directed more than $6 Million annually in GIA and other Mission Program Funding. Incredible for an organization our size!

Our FY 2023-24 GIA funding window opens July 1st and closes July 31st with a similar $1.25 to $1.5 Million budget likely. I’m anxious to see what programs and projects are proposed and funded by WSF to Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain® .

Our 2023 convention was also another record, shattering the prior 2020 net high mark by more than $700,000! These results will enable WSF to fund even more wild sheep conservation this fiscal year. Aiding this new convention record were record live auction sales, record permit sales, record sponsorships, record attendance, and record appeals support. Our Take One Put One Back™ (TOPOB) donor-directed conservation appeals program turned ten in 2023 and with the new record $317,500 contributed this year we have raised and directed more $1,645,000 in a decade. We celebrate TOPOB’s tenth birthday with a special feature on this and other important donor-directed appeals programs on pages 96-97 of this issue.

Our success is due to a fine and dedicated team of staff and volunteers. During our spring board of directors meeting in Boise, Idaho, held prior to Idaho WSF’s record shattering banquet, WSF recognized several stellar volunteers whose board service terms have expired. WSF Director Glen Pyne was recognized for his three years of service and now moves to the Wild Sheep Legacy Foundation Board where he was recently elected a trustee. Wayne Henderson has bylawsmandated termed out with nine years of service as a WSF Director. However, he remains involved in numerous committees and in his honorary role as board ombudsman. WSF Professional Resource Advisory Board (PRAB) member Tricia Hosch-Hebdon, current Assistant Wildlife Chief of the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, was recognized for her decade of service, and Anna Fontana of British Columbia and Karen Gordan of Alaska were also recognized for their decades of service to the wild sheep resource and WSF as PRAB members.

WSF takes pride in being an innovator and strives to bring new programs and offerings to our membership. Our One More for Four, Marco Polo® and Chadwick Ram® Societies, <1 Club®, Floor Credit Drawings, Ride for the Brand Tattoo Parlor, and Take One Put One Back™ program are just a few examples. This year in Reno we introduced our Camp Chef Culinary Corner featuring WSF and Women Hunt® Executive Chef in Residence Joshua Schwencke. Chef Josh conducted micro and macro demonstrations and provided numerous chef hacks and pro tips to enthusiastic crowds daily during the three days of Sheep Show®. We are pleased to bring Chef Josh to you quarterly starting in this issue with a regular Culinary Corner column. We will also feature him monthly with tips and video content through our social media and online mediums. However, this Wild Sheep® column and our video vignettes will not be just another recipe book or field-tofork sidebar. Chef Josh will bring you the how, the what, as well as the why of cooking—from gourmet to wild game. We are confident you will enjoy these new offerings and are honored to welcome this talented chef and outdoorsman to our team! Check out WSF’s & Women Hunt® Executive Chef in Residence Josh Schwencke’s inaugural column starting on page 114 of this issue.

It has been a banner year and exciting past twelve months. With the onset of summer, and our July 1 fiscal year start, I look forward to an even more productive new year for WSF, our membership, and our mission.

Enjoy this summer issue of Wild Sheep® and good luck in the mountains this sheep season! WS

Gray N. Thornton President & CEO, Wild Sheep Foundation

Editor-in-Chief, Wild Sheep® magazine

Summit Life Member Chadwick Ram Society® Member Legacy Society Member