DWR to open bighorn sheep nursery in Duchesne County

SkyRider Ranch in Hanna, Duchesne County. Photo: Young Living

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is launching a “nursery” for desert bighorn sheep in Utah in an effort to help grow the species’ population in the state.

DWR is partnering with Young Living, an essential oils company based in Lehi, on the project.

The nursery will be located on roughly 1,800 acres of the SkyRider Wildnerness Ranch in Hanna, Duchesne County. The land is owned and managed by Young Living. Hunting will not be allowed on the property.

“The area provides a water source and good habitat for bighorn sheep, and it is properly fenced to prevent them from wandering off the property,” DWR said in a press release.

Antelope Island has served as a nursery herd for several years specifically for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. This will be the first nursery area for desert bighorns in Utah.

“We are really excited about this area and the opportunity it will provide to grow our desert bighorn populations in Utah,” DWR Coordinator Riley Peck said. “There have been some disease issues with our bighorn sheep populations in the past, and this fenced area will provide a place for our herds to safely grow. This nursery herd allows us to have long-term viability of desert bighorn sheep in Utah. Whenever we have a need to supplement or create new populations in the state, we will have our own internal bighorn sheep population and can be self sufficient in maintaining healthy herds. The benefit of this nursery area cannot be overstated.”

DWR is partnering with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to get the initial desert bighorn sheep for the nursery. The property can support roughly 150 bighorns.

“My great-grandfather told me when I was 10 years old, ‘My boy, whatever you do in this life, leave something behind that will make this world a better place for those coming,’” Young Living Founder D. Gary Young said.