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Highways Block Bighorn Sheep

Part of the Ecology Disrupted Curriculum Collection.

How might being able to drive between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in just four hours put bighorn sheep at risk?

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Major highways that connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas run through bighorn sheep habitat. These highways allow travel between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in just four hours, but what do they mean for the sheep?

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Text Reads: "SNAPSHOT week of 11.21.2005 Image by NASA." The title reads: "Highways Block Bighorn Sheep. Mojave and Sondran Deserts, California". Bighorn Sheep populations are shown in red on a heat map and are confined to Southeastern California regions by the presence of major highways and urban areas shown in purple. Text at the bottom of the image reads: “This suggests bighorns cannot cross urban barriers to join new groups.”
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Essential Question:  How might being able to drive between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in just four hours put bighorn sheep at risk?
Key Topics: Habitat, Populations, Inbreeding, DNA, Measuring and Map Analysis, Genetic Diversity
Level: 7th - 12th grade
Pacing: Six class periods

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