Administration - Conference & other proceedings

Hamilton, K. S., Holl, S. A., & Douglas, C. L. (1982). An evaluation of the effects of recreational activity on Bighorn sheep in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA. Paper presented at the Desert Bighorn Council Transactions, 26th annual meeting.

Abstract

The effects of human disturbance on bighorn sheep was studied in the San Gabriel Mountains, California. The hypothesis that bighorn were abandoning habitat receiving high levels of human use were tested, Bighorn using the Narrows Mineral lick in South Fork Lytle Creek were not displaced by the presence of people in the canyon. The greatest proportion of sheep use of the lick and people use of the canyon occurred during midday hours. There was no correlation between numbers of people using the canyon and numbers of bighorn using the lick. Frequency of people traveling near the lick was important since sheep did not avoid the lick; they used it only when no humans were in the immediate vicinity.

The presence of large numbers of hikers on Devil's backbone trail, located in sheep summer range did not cause sheep to abandon adjacent habitat. There was no significant difference in sheep distribution between the Devil's Backbone trail (heavy recreational use) and the Cucamonga Peak trail (light recreational use).

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