as a kind of human hair cosplay wig for black women, it is more light, soft and delicate and looks more transparent than normal lace, which can melt into our skin more perfectly, which makes the hairline more invisible and undetectable.
(307) 455 3429 info@bighorn.org

  • About

    The National Bighorn Sheep Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which is dedicated to providing education and outreach for the national conservation of wild sheep, wildlife and wild lands. We accomplish this mission through exhibits which inspire our visitors, programs which educate youth and adults alike and special events, outreach and partnerships which help conserve bighorn sheep and other wildlife and wildlife habitat.

    The National Bighorn Sheep Center operates in beautiful Dubois, Wyoming. The Center features dioramas with full-scale taxidermy mounts that recreate bighorn habitat, interactive exhibits about wildlife management and special adaptations of wild sheep, and wildlife films the whole family will enjoy.

History

The citizens of Dubois have always felt great pride in the proximity, accessibility and successful endurance of “our” herd, the Whiskey Mountain herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. In the late 1980’s, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was considering building some type of small-scale sheep observatory with interpretive signage in the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area. At about the same time, the Louisiana-Pacific lumber mill, which had been the primary engine driving the Dubois economy for decades, was faltering. 

The mill was forced to close in 1988, leaving the town to wonder if their economy was facing imminent failure. Dubois needed something to encourage tourists to stop and stay in Dubois. The Wyoming Game & Fish Department also wanted an avenue for public education. A suggestion was made to construct a bighorn sheep-themed visitor center directly in town rather than in the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area. In a rather remarkable effort of co-operation, a partnership developed that included a broad spectrum of private- and public-sector groups. 

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the town of Dubois, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Wild Sheep Foundation (formerly the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep), the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation and many other entities and individuals contributed dollars, resources, talents and guidance to construct the National Bighorn Sheep Center. The Center was opened to the public on July 3, 1993.

Seasonal Hours:

Summer Hours
May 30, 2021 – September 6, 2021
Open 10am – 4pm, Open Every Day!

Autumn Hours
September 7, 2021 – December 18, 2021
Open 10am – 4pm, Monday – Saturday
Closed on Sundays

Winter & Spring Hours
December 20, 2020 – May 29, 2021
Open 10am – 4pm, Tuesday – Saturday
Closed on Sundays & Mondays

Special Closure Dates
Closed October 11: Indigenous People’s Day
Closed November 11: Veterans Day
Closed November 25: Thanksgiving Day
Closed December 24 & 25: Christmas
Closed December 31 & January 1: New Year’s Eve & Day

Location:

10 Bighorn Lane, just off the main street in beautiful Dubois, Wyoming next to the Dubois Historical Museum. Look for our big bronze ram “Ram Country”.

ADMISSION

Adults age 18 and over: $6

Youth ages 8 – 17: $3

Children ages 7 and under: FREE

Adult Group (8 or more), Seniors (age 60 and over) and Military: $5

Youth Group (8 or more): $2

Current Members and VIPs: FREE

School Groups: $2 per student, but sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact us to set up your tour by calling 307-455-3429

Partners

The National Bighorn Sheep Center is not alone in what we do. We are a part of a much larger “ecosystem” of organizations and agencies that we collaborate with locally, regionally and nationally to advance bighorn sheep conservation.

Bowhunters of Wyoming

Boys and Girls Club of Dubois

Destination Dubois

Dubois Chamber of Commerce

Dubois Historical Museum-Fremont County Museums

Joey’s Fly Fishing Foundation

Town of Dubois

U.S. Bureau of Land Management-Lander Field Office

U.S. Forest Service-Shoshone National Forest, Wind River District

Wild Sheep Foundation

Wind River Visitors Council

Wyoming Community Foundation

Wyoming Department of Education

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission

Wyoming Game and Fish Department-Lander Region

Wyoming Office of Tourism

Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation

Board of Directors

Carolyn Gillette

President

Carolyn grew up across the street from Central Park in New York City; this was her first wilderness area. The family camping and canoe trips of her childhood helped her to find a trail to Wyoming, where she encountered the Fitzpatrick wilderness area. It was after 5 continuous weeks of backpacking in the Wind River Mountains with National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) her course changed.

 

Jessica Shuler

Vice President

Jessica was born and raised in Powell, Wyoming, where she developed a love for hunting and the outdoors as part of a family devoted to conservation, including supporting Ducks Unlimited and multiple trips to the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center with her father. After college, her professional careers have included retail banking and real estate.

Jen Hazeldine

Secretary

Being born and raised in Ft. Worth, Texas, it was happenstance that Jennifer landed in Dubois.  Growing up, Jennifer had a passion for all things wild, the outdoors, playing in the water, and in the mud.  As a child, she and her brother went on many trips with her mom and grandparents to visit family in Wyoming, and was always enchanted with the pines, rivers, and the magnitude of the landscape.  Jennifer would spend many hours with her mom, grandmother and aunt walking the riverbeds looking for rocks and watching the local wildlife. In Texas, she always spent time on the boat with her grandfather, mom and brother.

Kate Falco

Treasurer

Kate grew up in Scotland, attended Middlebury College in Vermont, completed an MBA at Emory University, GA, and ended up working as a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia.  She first came to Wyoming in 1972 when the family came to the CM Ranch here in Dubois.  Her parents returned for 35 summers consecutively – Kate, Jerry and their family started coming for annual family reunions in 1994.  After 18 years of being “dudes”, she and Jerry started working at the CM, which led to moving to Torrey Valley in 2016 where the Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep became neighbors.  After realizing that Kate saw more sheep than people on many days, she decided it was time to get more involved with the National Bighorn Sheep Center, and became a member of the Board of Directors.

Lora Engleman

Lora was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but at the age of 8 moved to Casper, WY where she attended grade school, graduated from KWHS, and then earned her Bachelors Degree in Wildlife Biology and Fisheries Management from the University of Wyoming in 2000. She grew up training racehorses (primarily Arabians) with her family for 13 years all over the US. Some of her other accomplishments are competing in the Bighorn 100 endurance race, teaching Centershot-an archery program through Mountain Grace Church, and starting the Christ for Community here in Dubois, where she serves as President.

Cindie Watson

Cindie was born in Utah, but moved to California at the age of two.  She feels as if she must have imprinted upon the Utah mountains as a toddler because although she had access to the lovely beaches of southern California while growing up, the mountains were always calling to her.

Her father loved all animals, domestic and wild, and he passed on this appreciation and respect for wildlife to his daughter. Cindie would enjoy teaching about animals and nature to children, after earning her Bachelor of Science in Child Development from California Polytechnic State University and earning a Teaching Credential. She taught grades K-5 as a classroom teacher for 14 years, and for 10 years as a specialist in mathematics.

 

Ian Watson

Ian grew up in Southern California.  He’s been coming to camp in the Tetons every couple of years since he was a child, first with his parents, two brothers and sister.  Then with his wife Cindie, who he met in high school in Corona Del Mar California.  And then he and Cindie brought their two boys.  They love camping, hiking, backpacking and exploring in the Tetons.

It wasn’t until 2016 that he and Cindie found out about Dubois.  They were in Moose eating pizza at Dornan’s when a nice couple walked by and started telling them how they often drive over to Moose for lunch.  Ian and Cindie looked into Dubois and before they knew it, they had bought their new home on the Wind River.  They moved permanently to Dubois in 2018.

 

Steve Kilpatrick

Steve lives in Dubois, Wyoming prior to living in Jackson for over 27 years. He grew up in Nebraska and earned a BS and MS in Wildlife Management from the University of Nebraska. His passion for wildlife and the backcountry come from working as a habitat biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for the past 33 years in the Torrington and Jackson areas. Steve is a member of several conservation and professional organizations and has been frequently recognized for his collaborative team building efforts. He engages in the plethora of outdoor amenities offered in this area: horse packing, hunting, hiking, back country skiing, rafting, and camping. His personal goal is to sleep on the ground 5-6 weeks and cover several hundred miles on mule/horseback per year. His professional goals are to continue representing our silent constituents (wildlife), and conserve the future of our natural resources by advocating for habitat integrity and youth involvement.

 

Staff

Sara Bridge

Executive Director
sara@bighorn.org

Before moving to Jackson in 2018, Sara worked in New York City where she earned a degree in Economics from Columbia University. Starting her career as an intern with Friends of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), she decided to transition back to philanthropy when she moved West, joining the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole in 2019. The early part of her career was with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in strategy and wealth management. When she discovered Dubois, she decided to settle here permanently in 2020. Sara is a leader who has been successful with team building and brings deep commitment to mission and to those who support it. She is passionate about wildlife and the conservation of wild spaces. In Sara’s spare time she enjoys hanging out with her horse, Smokey.

 

Karen Sullivan

Education Manager
karen@bighorn.org

Karen was born in Texas, but she spent most of her life living in Louisiana. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Nicholls State University and a PhD in Microbiology from Louisiana State University. She spent almost twenty years teaching biology and microbiology at LSU. She married Troy in 1993 and raised two sons in Baton Rouge. Collectively, she and Troy have four adult children and three grandchildren. One son and two grandchildren live in Dubois and she is hoping to lure the rest of the family to the area.
After coming to CM ranch to visit Troy’s son, Karen and Troy fell in love with Dubois and the surrounding area and decided to make the big move from Louisiana to Wyoming.

Mackenzie Davis

Public Relations Manager
mackenzie@bighorn.org

Mackenzie was born in Bozeman, Montana, and has since spent a life in the outdoors in Alaska, Wyoming, and the Eastern Sierra Nevada of California. Earning a degree in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management from the University of Montana, Missoula, Mackenzie has a passion for all things wildlife and wild places. She hopes to share this passion with the people she encounters in her lifetime. While working at the National Bighorn Sheep Center, Mackenzie aspires to educate people on all matters of bighorn sheep, wildlife, and wildlands. Observing Dall Sheep in Alaska with her dad and Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Mohave region of California has given Mackenzie a scope of how tough and enduring bighorn sheep can be.

Monie Finley

Gift Shop Manager
monie@bighorn.org

Monie is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but discovered Wyoming at the age of 16 while attending the Girl Scouts National Center West (NCW).  She spent her summers between then and finishing college working for NCW and guest ranches as a wrangler. After earning a B.S. degree in Animal Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, (with a minor focus on Wildlife Management) she moved to Dubois and met her husband, John P. Finley. She began her involvement with the National Bighorn Sheep Center before the Center was even open, working as a volunteer for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. This led to being one of the first paid staff for the Center as Assistant Director. Although not continuous, Monie has worked at the Center in various positions for over 16 years.

Bernadine (Bernie) Rose

Gift Shop Associate
bernie@bighorn.org

Born and raised in rural Cumberland County, southern New Jersey, Bernadine grew up among small, family-operated vegetable and dairy farms and horses. Being outside, all year long, was a given.