Human Noise and the Desert Bighorn

Science Moab

Increased visitation and recreation in the desert inevitably leads to more human-generated noise. We talk with Joel Berger, University Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University, about how this noise may or may not be affecting the iconic desert bighorn sheep. More specifically, we discuss how the noise may lead to increased prenatal stress on the females. The female bighorn typically give birth in the late Spring, which is when recreation in the SW desert is at its peak.