Preliminary Inventory of the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society Records

The Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society was formed in 1967 and incorporated in 1969. Its purposes are conservation, wildlife management, and legislative lobbying. Society members construct and maintain water reservoirs and ramadas in desert bighorn ranges. They participate in surveys of desert bighorn populations and in relocation of desert bighorn specimens into former ranges which were abandoned.

The Society maintains a library of sources concerning the desert bighorn subspecies, and it renders technical assistance to research by graduate students. In 1973, Society members constructed an enclosed desert bighorn habitat and observation tower within the confines of the Phoenix Zoo.

A committee of members monitors legislative proposals and campaigns for or against bills which are perceived to hold a potential for impact on sheep populations. Examples of such legislation include provisions for the management of competing species of wildlife, the establishment of wilderness areas, the regulation of hunting, and reorganization of wildlife conservation agencies.

Finally, the Society sponsors a sheep-hunting seminar each year for the benefit of those who win desert bighorn tags in a state drawing and hosts an awards dinner for the hunters who are successful.