02/13/08

Officials with the Idaho Conservation Service have warned Governor Butch Otter that his policies on bighorn sheep may result in more lawsuits.

While otter has asked Idaho Fish and Game department officials to develop a plan for management of bighorn sheep - ICL officials say they'd like the public to be able to offer input on any plan.

Fish and game officials say the plan is largely finished at this point.

Last year a judge closed grazing allotments as part of a lawsuit by attorneys for environmental groups, who said large numbers of bighorns had died off after contracting diseases carried by domestic sheep.

Bighorn sheep populations in Idaho have been declining since their reintroduction in the 1970s.

There were around 6500 bighorns in the state in 1990 - although that number is now believed to be much closer to 3500.