Colorado Springs, United States - January 14, 2025 Every morning this month, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) terrestrial biologist Tyrel Woodward and his team have been hard at work preparing for a major wildlife conservation effort: the relocation of 20 bighorn sheep from an old quarry above Colorado Springs to the mountains southwest of Pueblo. On January 14, CPW staffers John Barkowski and Joey Livingston distributed bales of hay and apple pulp to lure the 150-member Rampart herd to a site where a net will be set up next month to catch the sheep. This method, which has been successfully used for decades, will help establish a new herd in a different area. When the rams, ewes, and yearlings see the hay and apple pulp, they come running. It’s a technique that dates back to 1944 when Colorado became the first wildlife agency in the U.S. to successfully capture bighorn sheep for relocation, a groundbreaking achievement in wildlife conservation. At the time, it took four years to capture 27 bighorn sheep using alfalfa, salt blocks, and apple pulp in a specially constructed corral at Tarryall Reservoir in South Park. Those initial sheep helped rebuild bighorn populations across the state. For CPW staff and volunteers, the effort requires early mornings, often battling freezing temperatures and snow to ensure the sheep are fed and guided into position. But the reward is always worth it: a close-up view of Colorado's state mammal—the bighorn sheep—symbolizing the ongoing dedication of wildlife conservationists in the state.