Volunteers standing around holding the donation check from Conservation Direct that was given to fund the Arizona wild sheep management budget

KUIU Conservation Direct Arizona - KCD4

KUIU Conservation Direct teamed up with Arizona Game and Fish, Leupold, Wild Society, and Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society to successfully translocate 82 sheep within the state of Arizona.

SUCCESFULL BIGHORN SHEEP TRANSLOCATIONS

- 18 Desert sheep from the Silver Bell Mtns to the Galuiro Mtns
- 10 Desert sheep from the Superstition Mtns to the Picacho Mtns 
- 30 Rocky Mountain Bighorns from Eagle Creek/Morenci to East Clear Creek/Leonard Canyon
- 24 Desert sheep from Plomosa Mtns to Harcivar Mtns

“This project again proves Conservation Direct and the private sector can work hand in hand with a state agency to assist in biologically sound sheep conservation. To come together with Arizona Game and Fish, KUIU, Wild Society, Leupold, and Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society to fully fund this great work shows the true power of Conservation. We believe projects like this are an invaluable asset in helping out Public wildlife and are thrilled to be a part of Arizona’s conservation family.”
– KUIU’s Brendan Burns

Conservation Direct volunteers taking a nasal sample from a captured desert big horn sheep.

Four men waiting for a helicopter to land with captured desert bighorn sheep. The sheep will be collared and transplanted to a new area in Arizona.

Conservation Direct volunteers carrying a captured sheep

Volunteers transporting a Desert big horn sheep from a helicopter.

Close up of a volunteer taking a nasal sample of a captured sheep.

Collared Desert Bighorn Sheep being released from a trailer after being transplanted to new habitat in Arizona

BIGHORN SHEEP GPS COLLARS

The total cost of this project in Arizona was $164,000. All costs associated with the transplants were 100% company and customer funded by KUIU, Leupold, and Wild Society. The Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society acted as the bank for the entire transaction to prove full financial transparency.

KUIU customers were given the opportunity to participate through full or partial purchase of the 40 GPS collars used during the project. Customers purchased 23 of the 40 collars, and the other 17 were purchased by KUIU, Leupold, and Wild Society.

“Without hunting, you would not have conservation. This was a tremendous opportunity for us to get our feet on the ground and our hands dirty, and do something directly with Arizona Game and Fish”
– Leupold’s Bruce Pettet

Nine GPS tracker collars with names of Conservation Direct donors written on them

Two men attaching a GPS tracker collar to the neck of an Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep

Volunteers taking nasal samples from a captured big shorn sheep in Arizona. The sheep is blindfolded to keep it calm. It will be collared and released in a new area in Arizona as part of a KUIU Conservation Direct project to increase wild sheep populations.

“We have given money to myriad conservation initiatives, never before have I been able to so intimately see the power of that resource being put to work like this project. Conservation Direct and Arizona Game and Fish made a measurable difference in the population of wild sheep and is an amazing example of hunters doing great things for wildlife.”
– Jeff Edwards Co Founder, Wild Society Coffee Co

Row of tracking collars used for KUIU Conservation Direct project in Arizona laid diagonally on a table

Two volunteers are taking blood samples from a captured big horn sheep. The sheep is blindfolded to keep calm. The sheep will be transplanted to a new area as part of a KUIU Conservation Direct project in Arizona.

“When we do a project, often we are gathering funds two years in advance to have the ability to do a translocation or augmentation. When we are working on something like this and the private sector comes in and completes a contribution of this scale, it frees up those dollars we previously raised and creates a ripple effect to do wildlife conservation in a fiscal year. It’s huge.”
- Arizona Game and Fish’s Josh Avey

A desert big horn ram standing between cacti

Aerial shot from helicopter of team capturing sheep with net gun from KUIU Conservation Direct project: Arizona to Utah

Four men standing on top of a trailer, releasing collared big horn sheep. The sheep were captured and released into a new area in Arizona for a KUIU Conservation Direct Project.

“ADBSS and Arizona Game and Fish auction off state sheep tags, and that normally funds the annual projects. Since KUIU came along and offset the allocations, we can move those funds to other very needed projects. This is going to force other people to get involved at this level and continue to improve conservation.”
– Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society’s Brad Remfrey