Anza-Borrego park faces claims of neglecting water tanks, leading to bighorn sheep deaths
From wetlands to badlands, plants and wildlife in eastern San Diego County are struggling to survive. Ecologists face tough decisions about how to respond.
Former Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Superintendent Mark Jorgensen walks to a wildlife guzzler in the Vallecito Mountains south of Borrego Springs. Colby, who has studied and helped nurture the animals in eastern San Diego County for nearly two decades, contends that last year’s water delivery would have been unnecessary had the park had been conducting routine maintenance. She said the tank at Whale Peak ran dry because of a broken pipe, leading to the deaths of three ewes.“These sheep deaths were due to a lapse of maintenance by the park, not on climate change,” she wrote in a detailed email to the Union-Tribune.
Still, the dust-up raises a tough and ever-more relevant question: To what extent should humans prop up a population long impacted by human activity but now caught in the ever-tightening grip of global warming?The Peninsular bighorn sheep was listed as federally endangered in 1998 when a recorded 335 animals made up the total population, ranging from the U.S.-Mexico border to Palm Springs., documenting a devastating pattern of habitat loss and fragmentation by human development.
Jorgensen, a former park ranger and resource ecologist, helped oversee the installation of the guzzlers and other efforts to boost sheep populations dating back to the 1980s. The Union-Tribune reached out to a number of environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the California Wilderness Coalition. Only the Center for Biological Diversity was willing to talk about the guzzlers.
However, it’s often a leak or a broken float valve that triggers the need for an emergency water drop, said Scott Gibson, area captain coordinator with the Pasadena-based Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep. While California pioneered many of the country’s first guzzlers, starting with smaller devices for quail in the 1950s and then for sheep in the ‘70s and ‘80s, he said, other western states are now leading the way.Arizona Game and Fish Department, for example, maintains about 3,000 water catchment devices throughout the state.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Wind Gusts Roar to 67 MPH at Jersey Shore, 72 MPH in DelawareRoaring winds howled through the Jersey and Delaware shore towns Saturday, and are not expected to let up until Sunday afternoon.
Read more »
Family of veteran beaten by police commemorates the 45th anniversary of death with solidarity marchForty-five after Joe Campos Torres' death sparked the Moody Parks riot, his family honored him with a solidarity march that began at the place of his arrest.
Read more »
Opinion | Amid War and Devastation, Ukrainians Track Russian Eco CrimesWhile environmental damage may seem trivial in the face of death and displacement, a healthy environment will be crucial in safeguarding Ukraine's socioeconomic recovery after the war.
Read more »
High schooler facing murder charge after bathroom stabbing of classmateA high schooler in Texas is facing a murder charge for killing a classmate by stabbing him to death in a bathroom brawl, authorities said.
Read more »