Release Date: 02/10/2000

Wildlife living on the rugged cliffs of Bighorn Sheep Canyon west of Cañon City will have more places to get a drink of water next summer thanks to a generous donation from the Rocky Mountain Sheep Society – and a cooperative venture between the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management.
In early February, a helicopter lifted equipment to construct two water storage tanks that collect rainwater high above the canyon floor. Now that the equipment is in place, crews will hike up this spring to assemble the water collection tanks. If all goes well, and the sheep begin using the water troughs, two more will be installed in the fall.
“The goal of the project is to provide alternative locations for bighorn sheep and other wildlife to access water on the canyon rim above the Arkansas River,” said Jack Vayhinger, a biologist with the Division of Wildlife.
“There are no water sources along the canyon rim, so the bighorn sheep make one or two trips a day to the river’s edge. As a result, the sheep tend to limit their range to only half of the available habitat. We hope that by providing a year round water supply higher up on the canyon rim, we can increase the area the sheep have available to their use,” he said.
Once assembled, the tanks will collect rainwater and funnel it into a catch basin that allows sheep, deer, birds and other wildlife to access the water. Depending on rainfall, the tanks have the ability to hold up to 1,100 gallons of water each.
Bighorn Seep Canyon is located along U.S. Highway 50 between Cañon City and Salida.