In early 2020, working with our partners with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (Lander Regional office), we prioritized the development of a new citizen-science led effort to help identify and record locations of invasive plant species in the larger Dubois area. Lots of Dubois-area residents and visitors have expressed desire to help our local bighorns and other wildlife in a tangible form, and we all agreed that prioritizing this citizen-science opportunity was a great fit!
Using the fun and user-friend app called “iNaturalist” we developed the Dubois Invasive Species Watch is a Citizen Science Project to help land managers identify the extent of invasive species in the area surrounding Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area and the larger Dubois area. Bighorn sheep are a community-wide iconic wildlife species that depends heavily on intact winter range and migration corridors. Rapidly responding to invasive species infestations will help maintain habitat for this and other wildlife species in the area.
Everyone can help! All you have to do is upload the iNaturalist app onto your devise, join the project (Dubois Invasive Species Watch), and while you’re out and about hiking, riding or exploring the beautiful landscapes around Dubois within the project area, keep your eyes out for some of the more common (and wildlife-challenging!) invasive species and make observations with your phone. The specific locations, photos and descriptions of the plants you see will be uploaded to the project site and used in real-time by habitat biologists.
We hosted a free zoom training for volunteers on May 28, 2020, and a link to this recorded video session can be viewed by clicking this link. You can also see the powerpoint itself (without video) by clicking this link: DuboisInvasiveSpeciesWatchTraining. Additionally, please check out this flier below for how YOU can help in this ongoing project to help our local wildlife:
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.
Bighorn Sheep Adaptations – Videos from NBSC:
Other Videos:
ng and other Western states have the science and the tools necessary to fix this problem. 
Field Trip to the National Bighorn Sheep Center
Field Trip to Torrey Valley
Traveling Education Trunks
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 (you just cover the shipping costs).Who: Youth ages 9-12
When: August 9-12 2021
Where: Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp, Dubois, Wyoming
What: 4-day Summer Camp focused on Bighorn Sheep and their habitat
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 habitat. Our dioramas include full-body taxidermy mounts of grizzly bears, marmot, wolves, golden eagle, mule deer, chipmunk, pika, coyote, mountain goat, bushy-tailed woodrat, mountain lion 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 story. Center exhibits also examine predator/prey relationships, the survival strategy of migration, and 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.
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.
Examine a recreation 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. Ponder the skillful creation of a sheep horn bow, a highly prized possession among the early inhabitants of this area.
