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The workshop consists of two parts. The first is a classroom session at the Game and Fish Mesa office on Friday, July 13, from 7-9 p.m., where participants will learn about bighorn sheep and their natural history, management and historical significance. The office is located at 7200 E. University Drive in Mesa.
The second part of the workshop is a Canyon Lake boat tour aboard the Dolly Steamboat beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 14. The tour will provide participants an opportunity to view bighorn sheep in their native environment. Game and Fish wildlife biologists and members of the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society will accompany the tour and provide information. The boat tour will last about three hours.
“In June, bighorn sheep stay pretty close to water,” said John Dickson, wildlife manager in the Canyon Lake District. “The hotter it is, the better the opportunity will be to see the sheep along the water’s edge.”
Space for the Saturday boat tour is limited to 139 people, the number of passengers the boat can hold. The cost is $30 per person and $27 for those over 60 years of age. To register, call the Dolly Steamboat at (480) 827-9144. Pre-registration is encouraged; walk-ins will only be able to join the tour if space is available.
Participants are strongly encouraged to attend the Friday classroom program to enhance the viewing opportunity the following day. To reserve your space for the classroom presentation, call Randy Babb at (480) 324-3546. The classroom program is limited to 70 people due to facility restrictions.
Boat tour participants are encouraged to bring a camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and binoculars. Snacks and drinks may be purchased from the Dolly.
“It will be hot on the lake,” Dickson advised, “but that’s when bighorn come down for a drink. There is limited shade on the boats, and the temperatures will likely be in the triple digits.”
Anyone with questions about the workshop may contact Information/Education Program Manager Randy Babb at (480) 324-3546 or e-mail rbabb@azgfd.gov.