S2E16: Protecting Desert Bighorn Sheep from Habitat Loss and Disease
About The Guest(s):
Dr. Christina Aiello is a bighorn sheep biologist and research associate with Oregon State University. She has dedicated her career to studying and conserving desert wildlife, particularly desert tortoises and desert bighorn sheep. With a focus on the Mojave Desert region, Dr. Aiello's research examines the impacts of habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change on bighorn sheep populations.
Summary:
Dr. Christina Aiello joins host Chris Clarke to discuss the conservation of desert bighorn sheep in the Mojave Desert. They explore the threats facing these iconic animals, including habitat loss, fragmentation, and the spread of respiratory diseases. Dr. Aiello highlights the importance of maintaining genetic diversity and connectivity between bighorn populations to ensure their long-term survival. They also discuss the potential impacts of the proposed high-speed rail project on bighorn sheep movement and the need for wildlife crossings to mitigate habitat fragmentation. Despite the challenges, Dr. Aiello remains hopeful and inspired by the resilience of desert wildlife.
As a bonus, desert writer Louise Mathias offers a related commentary on the likely impact of the proposed Soda Mountain Solar Project on bighorn sheep in Mojave National Preserve.
Key Takeaways:
- Desert bighorn sheep require rocky, high-elevation terrain with access to water and forage.
- Habitat loss and fragmentation from urbanization and infrastructure development are major threats to bighorn sheep populations.
- Bighorn sheep exhibit natural movements and rely on connectivity between habitats for genetic diversity and survival.
- Wildlife crossings, such as overpasses, are crucial for facilitating bighorn sheep movement and maintaining population connectivity.
- Bighorn sheep are susceptible to respiratory diseases, which can be introduced through contact with domestic livestock.
- Genetic diversity plays a vital role in bighorn sheep's ability to resist and recover from diseases.
- The proposed high-speed rail project in the Mojave Desert will further fragment bighorn sheep habitat and hinder their movements.
- Protecting and improving degraded habitats can still benefit wildlife, as they demonstrate resilience and adaptability.
Quotes:
- "Bighorn sheep will make use of a bad situation that we hand them and get as much from that landscape as they can." - Dr. Christina Aiello
- "Wildlife crossings are a public health measure for bighorn sheep." - Dr. Christina Aiello
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Christina Aiello, PhD.
Dr. Christina Aiello works as the Wildlands Network's California program’s wildlife biologist, where she develops and conducts research on wildlife movement, connectivity and road ecology, particularly in California’s extensive and unique desert habitats. She worked for the U.S. Geological Survey in Nevada on applied research designed to inform desert wildlife conservation. While there, she earned a Ph.D. in Ecology at Pennsylvania State University, where she studied the spatial and social networks of desert tortoises and their role in disease spread. She then joined Oregon State University and partnered with the National Park Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to better understand desert bighorn sheep movement near major highways. She helped collect and analyze data that informed the state’s overpass design for bighorn sheep along I-15 and future crossing structures along I-8. She loves to seek out new research with practical applications for managing our lands and species in increasingly human-dominated landscapes.
Louise Mathias
Louise Mathias grew up in England and Los Angeles, and currently splits her time between Long Beach, California and South Bend, Indiana. She is the author of Lark Apprentice and What If The Invader is Beautiful. Her poems have been published in journals such as Prairie Schooner, Epoch, Boulevard, Crazyhorse, DENVER QUARTERLY and The Journal. Poems from her new manuscript-in-progress The Traps, appear or are forthcoming in Triquarterly, Massachusetts Review, Pool, The Laurel Review, Diagram, Many Mountains Moving and Perihelion. She was educated at the University of Southern California, and works as a fundraising consultant.