Rampart herd celebrated at Garden of the Gods at the 18th annual 'Bighorn Sheep Day'
Feb. 18—The 18th annual Bighorn Sheep Day thrived at the Garden of the Gods visitors center on Saturday and featured wildlife viewing stations, live animals, nature walks, educational booths, and giveaways to celebrate the roughly 130-member herd that resides in an old quarry area near Garden of the Gods Park.
"We celebrate all wildlife and nature in general, but we focus on the rocky mountain bighorn sheep. People should be aware that we're fortunate to have bighorn sheep in city limits that we can watch and observe," said Bret Tennis, the Garden of the Gods Parks operations administrator said. "Coming out to see them is a joy."
Saturday's event featured an array of fun educational activities for kids and families to learn more about the bighorn sheep and wildlife generally found in the park.
One activity offered for kids was the bighorn sheep survival game. In a simulation of sorts, participants play the role of the bighorn sheep and work through different scenarios telling of the everyday struggles and dangers the herd encounters.
"We always want to use this opportunity to teach people about wildlife. If you appreciate something, you're more likely to take care of it," Tennis said.
The sheep that can be spotted at Garden of the Gods are members of the Rampart Herd, which has a long, storied history in Colorado.
"The Rampart bighorn sheep originally were destined for release on Pikes Peak, but the truck carrying them from Tarryall in 1946 broke down in Green Mountain Falls. So the drivers simply released the 14 sheep on board, hoping they would head up the mountain. Instead, they found their way north and east to the Rampart Range," according to CPW.
The resilient group dodged fate a second time when they were caught on a railroad track as an ore train approached. Only one sheep was killed in that collision, according to CPW.
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Over in the visitor center's exhibit hall, volunteers with the Bear Creek Nature Center helped event patrons create bighorn sheep hats out of construction paper, and paper plates.
Kylee Taylor is the interpretive programs manager for Bear Creek.
"Being here today and just being able to talk to people about bighorn sheep, and of course, the nature center as well and all of the great opportunities we provide has been really awesome," Taylor said.
Andrew Barron from Nature's Educators, a nonprofit wildlife outreach center in Florence, brought an array of Colorado native species to present to crowds and stimulate conversation surrounding wildlife and the environment.
"My mission is to make caring for the environment cool," Barron said. "Our (nature's educators) mission is through educational programming and wildlife experiences to inspire all of us, or maybe just one of us to go out into the world and be a bit more environmentally cautious and aware."
With Barron today were a red-tailed hawk, an American kestrel falcon, a Colorado ground tarantula, a tiger salamander, a Western hognose snake and a bull snake. Families surrounded Barron and other nature educator's volunteers as they held the animals on display and answered questions.
Fascinated by the creatures was the Hanson family of four, who stumbled upon the event during their weekly weekend visit to the park.
The two kids ran eagerly to the red-tailed hawk, perched proudly on Barron's hand.
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