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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/21/2013
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Did a hike in the Coyote Mts near Carrizo on Saturday (84 degree when I started and 90 when I returned) and saw six bighorn sheep. Heard what sounded like a small rock fall and saw them walking by. Was under the impression they left during the summer since there's no water supply and returned in the winter. Found one mention here on page 13 ( http://www.fws.gov/carlsbad/speciesstatuslist/5yr/20110421_5yr_pbs.pdf ) stating there's now a full time presence in The Coyotes. Supposedly they don't venture down to Carrizo Marsh because of the Tamarisk invasion and lack of escape terrain but who knows. Tom
Since some of us don't have 500mm lenses, these four sheep look pretty tiny 
Four Sheep by tomteske, on Flickr
Here's the fifth one trailing the others by a few minutes. The final one ran by about fifty feet in front of me but, of course, by then I had put my camera away.
Fossil Canyon Sheep by tomteske, on Flickr
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ziphius Posts: 911
10/21/2013
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Nice sighting Tom! Interesting status review too, with the *new* year-round presence in the Coyote Mountains. Maybe the sheep know about some undocumented water source in that region, heh? So, were you literally hiking in Fossil Canyon when you saw them? (judging from the name of your 2nd photo)
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/21/2013
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Jim (ziphius) wrote:
Nice sighting Tom! Interesting status review too, with the *new* year-round presence in the Coyote Mountains. Maybe the sheep know about some undocumented water source in that region, heh? So, were you literally hiking in Fossil Canyon when you saw them? (judging from the name of your 2nd photo)
Yeah, was going to explore slot canyons north of Fossil Canyon when I spotted the sheep. They were past the very end of Fossil where it turns into 5-6 small washes. Didn't get as far as I'd like since my intended approach ended at a dry fall with a 25ft shear drop off. Someone had strung a rope down one side but looked like it had been there a long time. Tom
Am I the only one who doesn't know how to do an eye splice or has that rope been there a while?
The Rope by tomteske, on Flickr
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mrkmc Posts: 87
10/21/2013
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That rope and "anchor" doesn't look great. Good call.
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
10/22/2013
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I don't think the ewes ever travel far from home, rams on the other hand will travel around. They are supposed to be doing Tamarisk removal in Carizzo Marsh with money from Pattern and the wind turbine project.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/22/2013
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dsefcik wrote:
I don't think the ewes ever travel far from home, rams on the other hand will travel around. They are supposed to be doing Tamarisk removal in Carizzo Marsh with money from Pattern and the wind turbine project.
You're totally right, Daren. Here's the Helix Environmental mitigation report from last year that outlines their restoration plans for Carrizo Marsh: http://www.ocotilloeccmp.com/Wild1s_PBS_MMP.pdf
According to one of their press releases from February of this year, Helix has already started the restoration with a major burn scheduled for sometime "in the fall." I actually called Helix today for an update and received a call back from a secretary (super nice who admitted she was a temp) telling me the project manager told her to tell me to call a person named "Anza Borrego" at 760-767-5311 (the ABDSP Visitor Center number!) for more info. She even spelled out the person's name to make sure I got it right
Has anyone actually driven out to the marsh and seen any changes? I haven't been out there in over a year. Tom
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AdventureGraham Posts: 170
10/24/2013
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tommy750 wrote:
Has anyone actually driven out to the marsh and seen any changes? I haven't been out there in over a year. Tom
Yeah, I posted an update of that area recently. All the Tamarisk has been removed from Carrizo Creek.
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
10/24/2013
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Thanks to Pattern and $3.5 million dollars....I am sure all of the retirees who live in Ocotillo are happy about the Tamarisk removal....sorry, just had to blurt that out......
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/24/2013
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BorregoWrangler wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Has anyone actually driven out to the marsh and seen any changes? I haven't been out there in over a year. Tom
Yeah, I posted an update of that area recently. All the Tamarisk has been removed from Carrizo Creek.
Thanks! I saw your post but completely fixated on the adobe structures. Need to get out there again. Tom
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1364
10/26/2013
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Thinking the same thing Daren 
dsefcik wrote:
Thanks to Pattern and $3.5 million dollars....I am sure all of the retirees who live in Ocotillo are happy about the Tamarisk removal....sorry, just had to blurt that out......
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/26/2013
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Went out yesterday to see if I could get around the dry fall. Basically just hiked straight over into Carrizo Badlands. None of the slot canyons I saw on Google Earth really amounted to much. Did see some activity on top to Carrizo Mt.
Watched these guys land on top of Carrizo. It's nine miles hiking from the Painted Gorge gate or you can pretty much drive to the summit. But this looks like cheating to me
Helo on Carrizo by tomteske, on Flickr
Helo on Carrizo2 by tomteske, on Flickr
Didn't notice the three people on top till I got home and looked at the pics.
Helo on Carrizo6 by tomteske, on Flickr
Helo on Carrizo3 by tomteske, on Flickr
Wheels up and heading home.
Helo Wheels Up by tomteske, on Flickr
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
10/26/2013
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Could you tell who they were, army, BP..??
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/27/2013
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dsefcik wrote:
Could you tell who they were, army, BP..??
Didn't see any markings on the hello. Two of the guys on the ground looked like flight crew and the third had a backpack on. Not sure what was going on.
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/27/2013
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dsefcik wrote:
Could you tell who they were, army, BP..??
The helo looks like a British Merlin HC3A. The British are coming?
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