Susan Billingsley - Grand Canyon River Guides

Adopt-a-Boatman UpdateOral histories are being sponsored left andright! Below is a quick update on the status ofthe Adopt-a-Boatman oral history fundinginitiative. Please refer to Grand Canyon River Guides’website for a more detailed spreadsheet with sponsornames and interview status:Full Adoptions: Tim Whitney, Howie Usher, AllenWilson, Lew Steiger, George Billingsley, JohnBlaustein, Jon & Ruthie StonerPartial Adoptions: Dick McCallum ($400 remaining),Richard Quartaroli ($400 remaining), Jeri Ledbetter($500 remaining)Before we add new names to our list, we would love towork towards fully funding the partial adoptions shownabove. If you’re interested, please send a check to gcrgat: PO Box 1934, Flagstaff, az 86002. The balanceremaining for each interview is indicated here, but youare welcome to send a smaller amount if you’d like toadd to the pot. It is quite common for multiple sponsorsto help us reach our $750 goal per interview.As this program matures, what we’ve found particularlystriking are the relationships that exist betweensponsors and adoptees, clearly highlighting the deepbonds that exist within our river community. Many havebeen long-time friends. In other cases, the sponsors havebeen commercial passengers from decades past whoremember their boatmen as clearly as if their trip endedyesterday. We even received one adoption that was asurprise birthday present from friends and family.We sincerely thank all of the sponsors who havecontributed to this program. Their generosity provides uswith an opportunity to weave many more unique andcolorful stories into the fabric of river running history inGrand Canyon. A very special gesture indeed.Lynn HamiltonDesert Bighorn Sheep Studyin Grand Canyon National ParkIn 2006, a pilot study was approved to determinethe movements of desert bighorn sheep withinGrand Canyon National Park, especially duringlambing and lamb rearing seasons. Monitoring will beconducted to determine sheep movements in relationto topography, visitor use areas, and river habitats.Additionally, basic population dynamics (survivalrates, mortality causes) will be studied.Though field work initially was scheduled to beginin the summer of 2006, delays in the manufacturing ofthe collars postponed the work until September, 2006.Three prototype collars were received and tested. Afloat trip was run on the upper half of the ColoradoRiver. (Sheep are difficult to approach within thecanyon and are more accessible when close to theriver). One collar failed prior to the river trip. Duringthe trip sheep were seen near the river but could notbe safely approached.In October, 2006 two successful sheep captureattempts were made by approaching sheep on-footalong Soap Creek and on the Colorado River. Oneadult ram and one adult ewe (animal number so1 andso2) were darted and fitted with two radio/gps collars.Unfortunately, the gps components malfunctioned,but the vhf signals have allowed biologists to locatethe sheep three times via fixed-wing aircraft. Bothsheep have traveled between Soap and Rider Canyonsand along the Colorado River. Collars typically fall offafter approximately one year, so another attempt willbe made this fall to capture and collar three bighornsheep using new collars.“Grand Canyon may have the largest desertbighorn sheep population in the country…”R.V. Ward, Wildlife Biologist, Grand CanyonNational ParkThe Grand Canyon Association and Earth Friendsdonated $15,000 to support this study of desertbighorn sheep in Grand Canyon.It is the mission of Grand Canyon Association tocultivate knowledge, discovery, stewardship for thebenefit of Grand Canyon National Park and its visitors.Helen Thompsonpage 12grand canyon river guides