HEIDI J. MARKEY / SPECIAL TO THE PVT Desert bighorn sheep have been affected by the dry weather in Nevada. Advertisement

Even by Nevada standards, this past winter and spring were both extremely dry.

For people who don't like rain that may seem like a good thing, but for wildlife that depends on the water precipitation brings to the desert, the ongoing drought is anything but good.

This is especially true for the desert bighorn sheep that live in the rugged mountains of Southern Nevada, so the Nevada Department of Wildlife teamed up recently with a trio of conservation organizations to give the sheep a much- needed drink.

With financial assistance from the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, the department ferried more than 11,000 gallons of clean water into the Bare Mountains and the Last Chance range west of Mt. Charleston. The water was carried by helicopter and dropped into water developments using a fire bucket.

Water developments, sometimes called water projects, are designed to catch rainwater and funnel it into storage tanks for use by animals. "They're structures that collect water, either off of an artificial surface or a natural rock surface and store the water in tanks. And then it is regulated out to a drinker," said Craig Stevenson, a habitat biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

In this instance, the water flows from three tanks into a drinker that is controlled by a float valve similar to those found on a toilet. As the water in the drinker is consumed, the valve opens and lets more water in.

Newer projects use a leveling system that controls the amount of water that is available without the use of machinery. The capacity of the Bare Mountain project is 6,750 gallons.

"This is the first time since this project was built in 1993 that we have had a problem with the amount of water available in the storage tanks," said Stevenson, who also explained that habitat fragmentation is one of the major reasons water developments are needed.

"There's been some concern that we create an unnatural situation, and some concern that predators may use these water developments," said Stevenson. "The predators are also using the natural springs. One thing we can't deny is that humans have had an affect on the landscape. It's been fragmented. The way we are able to maintain these sheep populations is to augment the habitat. Here (the Bare Mountains) we added three water developments."

The helicopter time needed to ferry water into water projects is very expensive, and that means the water is expensive as a result. Bill Vasconi, past president of the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn said the last time water drops were used, the water cost about 94 cents a gallon. Vasconi figures that by the time this summer is over, the organization will help pay for more than 70,000 gallons of water to be flown in to various water projects.

Although the water projects are built primarily with bighorn sheep in mind, a wide variety of species benefit from the local source of water, Stevenson said. Some of the bird species on his list of beneficiaries include sparrows, tanagers, warblers and other birds.

Small mammals also benefit. The department monitors about 105 such projects for bighorn sheep throughout the southern portion of the state. There are also an additional 15 for antelope and another 68 that were designed for mule deer and elk.