Key Pillars of our Education Program
We inspire, educate, and conserve through our exhibits, programs, and outreach with a commitment to wild sheep since 1993.
Educational Resources
Field Trip to the National Bighorn Sheep Center
Our trained staff and volunteers welcome school groups of any age and any size. We are happy to provide guided tours of the exhibits, as well as activities, discussions, or films customized for your group’s age or specific interests. Call (307-455-3429) or email in advance to schedule an engaging and memorable visit for your students. Admission for school groups is $2/student. If this cost is prohibitive, please contact us about potential sponsorships.
Information for teachers and students when planning a visit can be found here: Tips for school visits to Dubois Museum and NBSC
Field Trip to Torrey Valley
Our experienced staff and volunteers offer guided tours to the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area, which is the winter range of the Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep herd. On these tours, students learn about bighorn 
sheep habitats and biology in the field. This tour can be customized to explore specific content and topics.
Traveling Education Trunks
Can’t bring your class to the National Bighorn Sheep Center for a tour? We’ve got you covered! No, we can’t send you a live bighorn, but our Traveling Education Trunk will help provide you and your class a hands-on, up-close look at the life and lifestyles of bighorn sheep. We can ship a trunk anywhere in the contiguous United States (FREE, aside from shipping).
Contents can be found here: Education Trunk contents and lesson. The contents of the trunk can be modified based on your educational needs.
If you are interested in having one of our staff members or volunteers bring an education trunk to your classroom and present the lesson for you, call (307-455-3429) or email to discuss.
Wyoming Science Curriculum Standards at the NBSC
If you are interested in learning about the Wyoming science curriculum standards that can be met using our lessons, activities, or materials, click WY science curriculum standards at NBSC.
Stay connected – Join our Facebook group and sign up for emails to stay up to date on the latest NBSC happenings.
Additional Resources
Bighorn Sheep Adaptations – Videos from NBSC:
Other Videos from NBSC:
Want to know the differences between wild sheep and goats? Watch this silly video to learn! Sheep and Goats from Parks Canada
Videos About Pneumonia in Bighorn Sheep
- Wild and Wool film – Bighorn sheep, an icon of the American West, battle to survive as contact with the infectious disease, Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovi), carried by domestic sheep threaten these wild herds.
- Running with the Herd – Biologist Jack Hogg has been studying a herd of wild bighorn sheep on Montana’s National Bison Range for more than 35 years. When Jack’s herd gets infected with a deadly form of pneumonia, he goes in search of answers.
- Running with the Herd: The Recovery – Facing their own pandemic, a decimated Bighorn sheep population, featured in the 2018 NATURE short film “Running With The Herd,” begin their spectacular comeback
- Wild Sheep in the West – In this recorded Instagram Live Show, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation interviews Kevin Hurley, a 40-year career wildlife biologist and current Vice-President of Conservation & Operations at the Wild Sheep Foundation. Kevin has been involved in all aspects of Bighorn sheep conservation, from transplants back in the 80’s to helping fund pathogen research with Bighorns now. This is a great overview of where populations of wild sheep used to be, how conservation has helped bring populations back significantly, what factors threaten sheep now, and what the average person can do to help.
Lessons and Curriculum
- Bighorns On the Edge Lesson Plan
- Wyoming Bighorns: On the Edge? PowerPoint Part I – Are the bighorn sheep in Wyoming on the Edge? Find out using this lesson plan which involves population graphing and discussion of factors that affect bighorn sheep survival.
- Curriculum from Wild Sheep Foundation
Exhibits
Exhibits at the National Bighorn Sheep Center
Come explore the world of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. The central display, “Sheep Mountain,” is a 16-feet tall diorama that recreates the summer and winter habitats of the Bighorns. This exhibit includes plants and other wildlife that share bighorn sheep’s habitats. Our dioramas include full-body taxidermy mounts of grizzly bears, marmots, wolves, golden eagles, mule deer, chipmunks, pikas, coyotes, mountain goats, bushy-tailed woodrats, mountain lions, and more!
Other Center exhibits include hands-on interactive displays that will engage, educate, and entertain visitors of all ages! Feel the weight of a mature bighorn ram’s horn, identify wildlife tracks, scat, and fur samples, and listen to a variety of local people telling their own bighorn sheep stories. Center exhibits also examine predator/prey relationships, explain the survival strategy of migration, and help visitors see the mountain environment through the eyes of a bighorn sheep. We occasionally have temporary special exhibits in the Ronald W. Ball Memorial Gallery as well as in the main exhibit hall.
Ronald W. Ball Memorial Gallery
In memory of Ronald W. Ball, this Gallery honors Ron, who helped create the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation through his dedication to bighorn sheep conservation in Wyoming. The small Gallery hosts a theater space where educational films, temporary special exhibits including artwork and photography, and educational programs are regularly hosted.
Sheepeater Native American History
The Bighorn Sheep Center also features information about the Sheepeater (also called the Mountain Shoshone) Native Americans. This culture inhabited the Dubois area for thousands of years and had a strong connection with wild sheep. Examine a re-creation of an ancient Sheepeater Indian sheep trap, and make your own drawing of a petroglyph based on an original design that was created hundreds of years ago. See handmade winter boots made from bighorn sheep fur. Ponder the skillful creation of a sheep horn bow, a highly prized possession among the early inhabitants of this area. Part of the Sheepeater display includes a collection of replica stone and bone tools, hand-tanned bighorn sheep hide, and many other items all made with material from bighorn sheep. The Sheepeater displays are unique to the Bighorn Sheep Center. Come and learn!