[MUSIC] - SHEEP HAVE GRAZED THIS COUNTRY IN THESE ALPINE PLATEAUS FOR CENTURIES, AND THE SHEEP INDUSTRY IS A VITAL PART OF THE RURAL ECONOMIES IN THE STATE OF COLORADO.

- WE RAISE GOOD QUALITY LAMB.

PROBABLY NO BETTER LAMB IN THE COUNTRY THAN THESE COLORADO LAMBS.

AND AS A PRODUCER, WE STRIVE TO DO THE BEST JOB WE CAN WITH OUR SHEEP.

- COME ON, LITTLE ONES.

COME ON.

MY GRANDFATHER STARTED IN THE SHEEP INDUSTRY EARLY 1920S.

SO, IT'S BEEN IN THE FAMILY FOREVER.

- I'VE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS MY WHOLE LIFE, AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW, WE'RE FACING SOME OF THE BIGGER CHALLENGES WE'VE EVER SEEN.

- THE SHEEP INDUSTRY IS KIND OF A HARD WAY TO MAKE A LIVING, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

IT'S HIGHLY LABOR INTENSIVE IN A WORLD WHERE NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO STEP INTO AGRICULTURE AND WORK HARD 24-7.

- WITH THE WORLD MOVING THE WAY IT IS, I THINK IT WILL BE TOO HARD TO FIND WORKERS, BUT THE COST FOR LABOR IS, I THINK, THE BIGGEST INDIVIDUAL COST FOR PRODUCTION.

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY.

I MEAN, I LOOK AT IT A LOT AS HERITAGE, SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ITSELF CONTINUE ON, BUT WE'LL SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT.

- IT'S A DIFFICULT BUSINESS.

IT'S A DIFFICULT BUSINESS.

THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURES.

YOU KNOW, WE ALL LOVE WHAT WE DO, BUT IT'S GETTING PRETTY HARD.

- ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS READY?

[CAR ENGINE STARTING] MY NAME'S JOHN FIELD.

I'M A FOURTH GENERATION RANCHER, LIVE IN MONTROSE, COLORADO, AND I'VE BEEN IN THE SHEEP BUSINESS ALL OF MY LIFE.

MY FATHER WAS IN THE SHEEP BUSINESS, MY GRANDFATHER.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.

I LOVE THE ANIMALS, HORSES.

IT'S A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL OCCUPATION, BUT IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER EVERY YEAR.

- HEY BABY.

HEY BABY.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

IT GOES IN CYCLES, THE ECONOMICS ON SHEEP.

I GUESS WE'RE REALLY OPTIMISTIC.

I ALWAYS SAY NEXT YEAR'S GOING TO BE BETTER THAN LAST YEAR, SO I THINK MAYBE WE JUST GET THOSE GOOD YEARS ENOUGH TO KEEP US GOING.

- COLORADO IS THE THIRD LARGEST SHEEP PRODUCING STATE IN THE NATION.

THE STATE'S MODERATE CLIMATE AND LUSH MOUNTAIN PASTURES MAKE IT AN IDEAL PLACE TO RAISE SHEEP.

BUT WITH DECREASING DEMAND AND REVENUES, AS WELL AS STIFF COMPETITION FROM IMPORTS, THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN TOUGH FOR RANCHERS.

- IT TAKES A CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL TO WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH RAISING SHEEP ON A FULL-TIME BASIS.

SO, THESE RANCHERS HAVE BECOME KIND OF CONSOLIDATED, AND SEVERAL GENERATIONS HAVE JUST MOVED ON INTO OTHER INDUSTRIES.

- WE'VE GOT A LOT OF CHALLENGES IN THE SHEEP INDUSTRY.

LARGER OPERATIONS HAVE GOTTEN LARGER, SMALLER ONES HAVE EITHER DISSIPATED OR JUST TO THE POINT WHERE THEY'RE JUST TIRED OF IT.

- SHEEP WERE FIRST INTRODUCED TO THE US IN THE 1400S.

BY THE 1800S, MILLIONS OF SHEEP DOTTED THE LANDSCAPE, ESPECIALLY IN STATES LIKE COLORADO, AND THE INDUSTRY THRIVED UNTIL THE 1940S.

- IN THE MID-1940S, THERE WAS ABOUT 60 MILLION SHEEP IN THIS COUNTRY.

THAT WAS THE APEX OF SHEEP PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IT'S GONE IN A PRECIPITOUS, ALMOST VERTICAL DECLINE, DOWN TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY AT ABOUT 5 MILLION SHEEP IN THIS COUNTRY.

SO YOU CAN SEE, ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS, HOW BIG A DECLINE THAT WAS.

AND DEMAND WENT DOWN DRAMATICALLY.

- THIS IS ONE OF THOSE YEARS WHERE THERE'S JUST NOT A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM, ESPECIALLY COMING FROM THE BUYERS, ABOUT WANTING TO BUY LAMB.

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, ESPECIALLY.

- ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IN MY RECENT EXPERIENCE IS THE PRICE VOLATILITY THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY THE LAST FEW YEARS.

AND OUR CONSUMPTION OF LAMB IS NOT UP TO WHAT BEEF IS.

- BEEF HAS PRETTY MUCH, I THINK, USURPED A LOT OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRY.

WELL, YOU GO TO BUY LAMB CHOPS AT THE GROCERY STORE, THEY'RE JUST GOD-AWFUL EXPENSIVE.

HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW THAT EAT SHEEP?

I'D RATHER EAT SHEEP THAN BEEF, SO.

- YOU CAN BUY LAMB AT SAFEWAY, YOU CAN BUY IT AT CITY MARKET, YOU CAN BUY IT AT ANY MEAT STORE USUALLY, BUT THE SPACE WE HAVE IN THE SUPERMARKET IS ABOUT THIS BIG COMPARED TO THAT FOR BEEF AND PORK.

SO, THERE HAS BEEN AN EXODUS.

NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

PEOPLE ARE MAKING MONEY, THEY'RE GOING TO STAY IN IT.

YOU CAN'T MAKE MONEY, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU SURVIVE.

- THINGS ARE CHANGING NOW, AND THAT'S WHY A LOT OF OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES ARE DIMINISHING IN SIZE IS BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS ARE LEAVING THE AG BUSINESS, THE PRESSURES ARE MOUNTING ON US, AND SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN THAT LIFE ANYMORE, ECONOMICALLY AND POLITICALLY, SO IT'S JUST DIFFICULT TO KEEP IT ALL GOING.

[MUSIC] - WE'RE PROUD OF OUR INDUSTRY, WE'RE PROUD OF OUR BUSINESSES, BUT WE'RE HAVING AN ONSLAUGHT OF THOSE BALLOT INITIATIVES IN COLORADO THAT ARE AIMED AT TAKING AGRICULTURE OUT OF THE PICTURE.

- OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, COLORADANS HAVE PROPOSED VARIOUS BALLOT INITIATIVES TARGETING THE RANCHING COMMUNITY, FROM A PROPOSAL TO CHANGE WHEN ANIMALS CAN BE BUTCHERED, TO A BAN ON THE SALE OF FUR, TO THE REINTRODUCTION OF WOLVES, WHICH PASSED SUCCESSFULLY IN 2020.

- I THINK THEY FOUND OUT THAT IT'S A PRIME STATE WHERE THEY ARE ABLE TO ENACT SOME OF THESE BALLOT INITIATIVES, PRIMARILY IN THE FRONT RANGE CORRIDOR, WHICH HAS DIFFERENT VIEWS THAN MOST OF US DO IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.

IT'S EASIER FOR THEM TO GET THESE THINGS ON THE BALLOT AND TO VOTE THEM INTO EXISTENCE.

- IN 2024, AN INITIATIVE WAS PLACED ON DENVER'S BALLOT THAT WOULD BAN SLAUGHTERHOUSES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.

BALLOT MEASURE 309 EFFECTIVELY TARGETED ONE BUSINESS, SUPERIOR FARMS, THE ONLY SLAUGHTERHOUSE IN DENVER, WHICH HAS BEEN PROCESSING LAMB AND SHEEP FOR SEVERAL DECADES.

- PASSING 309 WILL SHUT DOWN SUPERIOR FARMS, REMOVING QUALITY JOBS FOR RESIDENTS OF THE GLOBVILLE COMMUNITY.

AND WE'RE ASKING RESIDENTS OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER TO VOTE NO ON 309.

[APPLAUSE] - DENVER'S SUPERIOR FARMS PLANT IS THE LARGEST LAMB PROCESSING FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY, EMPLOYING 160 PEOPLE.

IT CAN PROCESS HALF A MILLION SHEEP A YEAR, AND IT ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT ONE-FIFTH OF TOTAL LAMB PRODUCTION IN THE COUNTRY.

- AT LEAST 75% OF THE LAMBS THAT WE GET IN SUPERIOR FARMS DENVER COMES FROM LOCAL GROWERS, LOCAL RANCHERS.

WE ALSO GET SOME LOADS FROM SOUTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, IOWA.

BUT AT LEAST 70% OF THE SHEEP THAT WE GET HERE ARE FROM LOCAL GROWERS, COLORADO GROWERS.

- ALL MY LAMBS HISTORICALLY HAVE GONE TO SUPERIOR.

AND IF THAT GOES AWAY, I DON'T KNOW IF THE INDUSTRY WILL RECOVER BECAUSE IF THIS HAPPENS IN DENVER, THEY'VE MADE THIS QUITE CLEAR THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP THERE.

THEY'RE GOING TO GO STATEWIDE.

AND THEIR GOAL IS TO END ANIMAL AGRICULTURE.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO.

- HEY, WHAT'S UP?

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE IN DENVER BY CHANCE?

- I AM.

- WE'RE VOLUNTEERS WITH PRO ANIMAL FUTURE.

WE HAVE A COUPLE MEASURES ON THE BALLOT.

- THE GROUP THAT PUT FORWARD THE BALLOT MEASURE, PRO ANIMAL FUTURE, IS ONE OF A SMALL BUT GROWING NUMBER OF CITIZEN ACTIVISTS TARGETING THE COMMERCIAL MEAT INDUSTRY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

- WE PUT FORTH THIS MEASURE BECAUSE MANY AMERICANS ARE DEEPLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE WAY ANIMALS ARE USED FOR FOOD AND CLOTHING, BUT THEY FEEL POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

OUR MEASURES SEEK TO SPARK THE GRADUAL EVOLUTION AWAY FROM USING ANIMALS AS RESOURCES, STARTING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL HERE IN DENVER.

- WE WANT TO WORK UP TO BANNING FACTORY FARMING IN STATES THAT ALLOW BALLOT INITIATIVES, BASICALLY.

SO, DOES THAT MEAN WE CAN COUNT ON YOUR VOTE IN NOVEMBER?

SWEET.

LET ME GIVE YOU A STICKER.

- A LITTLE CRAZY THAT THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT CAN VOTE ARE THE PEOPLE IN DENVER, BUT THE ONES THAT IT REALLY AFFECTS ARE THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF DENVER, THE RANCHERS AND FARMERS, AND THE PEOPLE THAT USE THE LAND PRODUCTS THAT ARE PRODUCED IN THAT PLANT.

- WE SEE RANCHERS AS HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSITION AWAY FROM ANIMAL FARMING.

WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO EVOLVE PAST ANIMAL FARMING IF WE WANT TO REACH OUR CLIMATE TARGETS, AND WE KNOW THAT THE PLANT-BASED FOOD SECTOR IS GROWING.

YOU CAN STILL MAKE MONEY AS A FARMER, JUST LEAVE THE ANIMALS OUT OF IT.

- I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS LIVE IN DENVER, YOUNG PEOPLE, AND I THINK MOST OF THEM ARE PRETTY INTELLIGENT.

IF THEY JUST KNEW THE ISSUES, I KNOW THEY'D UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.

IT'S A MATTER OF CHOICE.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO EAT MEAT, DON'T EAT MEAT.

THAT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.

BUT DON'T FORCE THE REST OF US TO CLOSE EVERYTHING DOWN.

- THE PROPOSAL TO BAN SLAUGHTERHOUSES IN DENVER FAILED TO PASS, BUT IT WAS A REMINDER TO SHEEP RANCHERS OF THE MANY THREATS THEY CONTINUE TO FACE.

- PEOPLE THAT AREN'T RAISED IN THIS BUSINESS COME OUT AND LOOK AT THE PICTURES, AND THEY LOOK AT THE HORSES, AND THEY LOOK AT THE COUNTRY, AND THE SCENERY, AND EVERYTHING, THEY THINK IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

I'D LOVE TO DO THAT.

BUT THEY GET RIGHT DOWN INTO IT, AND IT'S A LOT OF WORK.

YOU HAVE TO HAVE DETERMINATION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE DRIVE.

AND SO, THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR GENERATIONS, MOST OF US HAVE A LOT OF STAMINA, AND IT'S PRETTY HARD TO MAKE US GIVE UP.

- THE SHEEP INDUSTRY HAS TWO MAIN MARKETS, LAMB AND WOOL.

TODAY SHEEP RANCHERS EARN MOST OF THEIR INCOME FROM MEAT SALES, BUT HISTORICALLY, THERE WAS MORE DEMAND FOR WOOL.

[MUSIC] - SETTLERS THAT CAME ALONG THE EAST COAST IN THE UNITED STATES BROUGHT SHEEP WITH THEM FROM ENGLAND AND THE NORTHERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

AND THEN, THE SPANIARDS THAT MOVED INTO CENTRAL AMERICA BROUGHT WOOL SHEEP WITH THEM, AND SO SHEEP HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.

IF YOU LOOK BACK IN HISTORY, WOOL WAS THE MAJOR COMPONENT.

FROM WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, AND THE KOREAN WAR, ALL THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WORE SOME SORT OF WOOL TYPE BASED UNIFORMS.

IT'S WARM, FIRE RESISTANT, IT'S STAIN RESISTANT.

FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE THE IDEAL FIBER COMPONENT FOR SOLDIERS AND FOR UNIFORMS.

IT WAS DEEMED AS A STRATEGIC COMMODITY, WHICH MEANT IT GOT A PRICE SUPPORT FROM THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

SO, IF YOU RAISE A GOOD QUALITY PRODUCT, YOU GOT PAID FOR THAT.

AND SO, IT MADE PEOPLE STRIVE TO RAISE HIGH QUALITY WOOL THAT THE AMERICAN INDUSTRY COULD USE.

RIGHT AFTER WORLD WAR II, SYNTHETIC FIBERS, NYLON, RAYON, ORLONS HAVE KIND OF TAKEN THE PLACE OF IT, AND THAT REALLY STARTED THE DECLINE OF THE SHEEP NUMBERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.

AND THE FACT THAT ABOUT THREE OR FOUR MILLION GIS CAME BACK FROM THE SOUTHEAST PACIFIC AND HAD BEEN FED MUTTON CONSISTENTLY, AND THOSE GIS CAME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES IN A MASS AND SAID DON'T EAT ANY MORE LAMB, DON'T EAT ANY MORE SHEEP PRODUCTS.

IT WAS NASTY AND LEFT AN INDELIBLE IMPRESSION UPON PROBABLY TWO TO THREE GENERATIONS OF AMERICAN CONSUMERS.

WE'RE STILL SUFFERING THE SIDE EFFECTS OF THAT.

ONCE THAT CASCADE EFFECT STARTED, ONCE YOU START LOSING SHEEP NUMBERS, PRETTY SOON, YOU START LOSING SHEEP SHEARERS, AND PRETTY SOON, YOU START LOSING INFRASTRUCTURE, THE WHOLE THING JUST KIND OF CASCADED ALL TOGETHER, AND I'M NOT SURE THERE'S ANOTHER ANIMAL SPECIES THAT HAS THAT SORT OF A STORY.

- TODAY, AMERICANS EAT LESS THAN A POUND OF LAMB AND MUTTON A YEAR, FAR LOWER THAN THE FIVE POUNDS THEY ATE IN THE 1960S.

WOOL HAS SUFFERED A SIMILAR DEMISE DUE TO THE GROWTH OF SYNTHETIC FIBERS LIKE POLYESTER.

- NOT TOO LONG AGO, THE WOOL MARKET WAS SO LOW THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN SELL THAT YEAR'S CROP, AND IT'S CYCLICAL.

SOME YEARS ARE UP, SOME YEARS ARE DOWN.

- NONE OF US ARE GETTING RICH AT IT, I'LL TELL YOU THAT.

SO, THE CONCEPT OF RICH RANCHERS, THAT'S A THING OF THE PAST.

YOU'RE NOT MAKING THE MONEY LIKE THEY DID WHEN ALBERT'S GRANDMOTHER STARTED THIS.

THEY USED TO FUND THE WHOLE OPERATION FOR THE WHOLE YEAR JUST ON THE MONEY THEY GOT FROM THE WOOL.

AND NOW, YOU'RE LUCKY IF YOU CAN GET ENOUGH TO PAY THE SHEARERS.

- EVERY SPRING, RANCHERS HIRE SHEARERS TO SHAVE THE THICK LAYERS OF WOOL OFF OF THEIR SHEEP.

SHEEP RANCHERS, LIKE MUCH OF THE FARMING INDUSTRY, RELY ON FOREIGN LABOR TO DO THIS WORK THROUGH WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE H-2A VISA PROGRAM.

[MUSIC] - OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES, THERE HAVE BEEN FEW AMERICANS WILLING TO PERFORM THE TAXING WORK, SO SHEEP RANCHERS HAVE COME TO RELY HEAVILY ON THE H-2A PROGRAM.

- MY DAD HAD A HUNDRED SHEEP, AND THERE WAS A LOCAL GUY THAT WOULD SHEAR HIS, BUT THAT WAS 45 YEARS AGO.

THIS IS BACK-BREAKING WORK.

IF YOU SHEAR A SHEEP...

I CAN'T DO IT.

I MEAN, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO ONE OR TWO, BUT YOU'RE BENT OVER ALL THE TIME.

IT'S BACK-BREAKING WORK.

[MUSIC] - IT WOULD TAKE ME A LONG TIME TO SHEAR EVEN 600 HEAD.

SO THEY JUST TRAVEL THE STATES.

THEY'LL PULL IN, SET UP, SHEAR FOR WHATEVER IT TAKES, FINISH WHEREVER THEY'RE AT, AND THEN THEY'LL PACK UP, MOVE ON TO THE NEXT RANCH, AND START ALL OVER AGAIN.

- THE H-2A PROGRAM IS A GOOD AND NECESSARY PROGRAM.

IT BRINGS WORKERS IN FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES UNDER A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT, REGULATED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

IT'S VERY NECESSARY THAT WE HAVE THAT PROGRAM WITHIN THE DOMESTIC INDUSTRY.

- LIKE SHEARERS, SHEEP HERDERS COME TO THE US ON TEMPORARY H-2A VISAS.

THEIR MAIN RESPONSIBILITY IS TO WATCH OVER THE FLOCKS AND MOVE THEM TO DIFFERENT GRAZING AREAS.

BUT UNLIKE SHEARERS, THEY TYPICALLY WORK YEAR-ROUND AND STAY FOR UP TO THREE YEARS AT A TIME.

- GRAZING SHEEP IS KIND OF A HARD WAY TO MAKE A LIVING, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

IT'S HIGHLY LABOR-INTENSIVE IN A WORLD WHERE NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO STEP INTO AGRICULTURE AND WORK HARD 24-7.

- WELL, IT'S VERY PHYSICAL, FOR ONE THING, THE WORK, BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT TO DO A LOT OF WALKING.

THEY'RE ON CALL 24 HOURS A DAY.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, IF THEY HEAR A SHEEP SCRAMBLING AROUND, AND IT'S A COYOTE OUT THERE, OR A BEAR, OR SOMETHING, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE ACTION.

- SPRINGTIME LAMBING IS THE MOST INTENSE.

I MEAN, DO LAMBING, TRYING TO KEEP AS MANY LAMBS ALIVE AS POSSIBLE, WORRYING ABOUT PREDATION.

- IT TAKES A SPECIAL INDIVIDUAL TO GO OUT THERE, AND SPEND MONTHS AT A TIME IN A LITTLE CAMP TRAILER, AND WATCH SHEEP.

THE ISOLATION IS SOMETHING THAT AMERICANS ARE NOT USED TO.

SO, IN ORDER TO GET AN H-2A WORKER, WE HAVE TO ADVERTISE FOR LOCAL EMPLOYMENT, AND WE JUST DON'T GET PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GO OUT AND BE A SHEEP HERDER.

- RANCHERS PARTICIPATING IN THE H-2A PROGRAM MUST FOLLOW STRICT REGULATIONS THROUGH THE US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, INCLUDING PROVIDING HOUSING AND FOOD AND PAYING HERDERS TWICE A MONTH.

- RED TAPE IS ASTOUNDING, BUT THE H-2A PROGRAM AND THESE GUYS ARE A NECESSARY PART OF WHAT WE DO, AND OUR OUTFIT TREATS THESE GUYS AS BEST AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.

I BRING THEM GROCERIES, JUST ABOUT WHATEVER THEY WANT.

WHATEVER THEY NEED, WE TAKE CARE OF THEM.

THE HOUSES THAT THEY LIVE IN ARE INSPECTED.

THEY'RE LITTLE TRAILER HOUSES OR LITTLE CAMP WAGONS, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU GO, BUT THEY'RE INSPECTED, AND THEY'RE NOT LIKE YOU OR I WOULD BE USED TO, A TRAVEL TRAILER WHERE YOU'VE GOT AIR CONDITIONING AND THAT TYPE OF THING.

MOST OF THEM ARE FAIRLY COMFORTABLE.

THESE GUYS GET ALONG FINE.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] - SHEEP HERDERS ARE SO EXTREMELY ISOLATED AND 100% DEPENDENT ON THEIR EMPLOYER FOR EVERYTHING, FOR FOOD, WATER, ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE, COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR FAMILY, AND SO IT'S MADE VERY CLEAR EARLY ON WHO HAS ALL OF THE POWER.

MY NAME IS JENNIFER RODRIGUEZ.

I'M THE MANAGING ATTORNEY FOR THE FARMWORKER RIGHTS DIVISION HERE AT COLORADO LEGAL SERVICES.

SHEEP HERDERS TEND TO COME TO US AND CONTACT US BECAUSE THEY'RE IN NEED OF INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS.

THEY'RE NOT SURE WHAT THEIR EMPLOYER IS DOING IS LEGAL.

OKAY.

THIS CASE RIGHT HERE IS THAT PLAINTIFFS HAD ALLEGED THAT THEY HAD BEEN FORCED TO WORK UNDER LONG HOURS, UNDER HARSH CONDITIONS, AND AT TIMES WITHOUT SUFFICIENT FOOD, AND THEY HAD THEIR IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS WITHHELD.

THEY WERE PROHIBITED FROM HAVING VISITORS.

- SHEEP HERDERS AND OTHER RANGE WORKERS OPERATE UNDER DIFFERENT CONTRACTS THAN TYPICAL FARM WORKERS BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE NATURE OF THE JOB.

THEY'RE ON CALL 24-7 AND MOVE FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

IN COLORADO, HERDERS MUST BE PAID $590 A WEEK OR ABOUT $1,200 EVERY TWO WEEKS, AND THEY'RE NOT PAID FOR WORKING OVERTIME.

THEY MUST BE PROVIDED FREE HOUSING, FOOD TO COVER THREE MEALS A DAY, AND ENOUGH WATER FOR DRINKING, COOKING, AND BATHING.

- THE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER HOUSING REQUIREMENTS FOR H-2A WORKERS BECAUSE IT IS RANGE HOUSING, SO THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT FOR REFRIGERATION.

THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE RUNNING WATER.

THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A TOILET.

THE FACILITIES THAT THEY CAN USE FOR WASTE DISPOSAL LIST A SHOVEL.

A SHOVEL IS SUFFICIENT FOR WASTE DISPOSAL.

THEY DON'T NEED TO HAVE ELECTRICITY.

AND THEN, BASED ON THE COLORADO LAW, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO HAVE VISITORS.

THE EMPLOYERS CAN'T INTERFERE WITH VISITORS TO THEIR HOUSING.

WE REPRESENT ALL TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL WORKERS, BUT SHEEP HERDERS DO TEND TO BE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF OUR WORK.

WE HAVE PROBABLY ABOUT 30% OF OUR CASES INVOLVE SHEEP HERDERS, AND OBVIOUSLY DEPENDS ON THE EMPLOYER, BUT THERE'S JUST A LOT OF ROOM FOR EXPLOITATION, GIVEN HOW SCATTERED AND HOW ISOLATED THEY ARE.

- THE RANCHERS THAT I KNOW, AND THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW BAD APPLES THAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT THAT DON'T TREAT THESE GUYS VERY WELL.

BUT THE REGULATIONS AND RULES ARE PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THESE GUYS ARE TREATED FAIRLY.

- RIGHT NOW, IN THE UNITED STATES, THE OVERSIGHT OF LABOR CONDITIONS IS SO POOR THAT BAD PLAYERS RECOGNIZE THEY'RE VERY UNLIKELY TO EVER GET IDENTIFIED, OR PROSECUTED FOR THEIR BEHAVIOR, OR FINED, AND THE NUMBER OF INVESTIGATIONS ARE MINUSCULE.

- MOST HOUSING INSPECTIONS ARE DONE BY THE RANCHERS THEMSELVES.

BY LAW, THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR IS ONLY REQUIRED TO CONDUCT INSPECTIONS ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS.

- THE US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR THAT ENFORCES THE H-2A PROGRAM, FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD IS THAT THERE'S VERY LIMITED RESOURCES FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND DO THE ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATIONS.

THEY HAVE VARYING PRIORITIES.

IT'S ALSO KIND OF LOGISTICALLY DIFFICULT.

SOMETIMES THE HERDERS ARE IN PLACES WHERE YOU CAN'T GET TO THEM BY CAR, AND THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS WHERE THE HERDER IS IS THE EMPLOYER.

AND SO, THEY'D HAVE TO USE THE EMPLOYER TO GET TO THE HERDER.

AND THEN, OBVIOUSLY, THAT COULD IMPACT THE CONVERSATION THAT THE HERDER IS GOING TO HAVE WITH THE INVESTIGATOR.

- HELLO.

HELLO.

HELLO.

- IGNACIO ALVARADO CAME TO THE U.S.

IN THE 1990S TO WORK AS A SHEEP HERDER ON A COLORADO RANCH.

HE'S NOW A U.S. CITIZEN AND ADVOCATE FOR HERDERS, CHECKING IN ON THEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

- IGNACIO AND I, STARTING AROUND 2006, HAVE MADE NUMEROUS VISITS TO SHEEP HERDERS IN THE AREA AROUND COLORADO, BECAME VERY INFORMED AND A RESOURCE FOR THE WORKERS WHEN THEY HAD CONCERNS AND PROBLEMS.

SO, WE WERE FILLING THAT ROLE.

- IGNACIO, BECAUSE HE DID IT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS ON HIS OWN, HE KNOWS WHAT THESE GUYS ARE FEELING.

HE KNOWS WHAT WORKERS ARE GOING TO BE IN WHAT PART OF PUBLIC LANDS AND A GIVEN DATE.

- SO, THAT KNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAS, I DON'T KNOW OF ANYBODY ELSE THAT HAS THAT.

[SCREAMS] - THE H-2A VISA IS SUPPOSED TO BE A TEMPORARY VISA, AND THESE GUYS HAVE RECEIVED VISAS THAT ARE PERMITTING THEM TO BE HERE FOR THREE YEARS AT TIMES.

- FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE TEMPORARY AND SEASONAL NATURE OF WHAT THE H-2A PROGRAM IS MEANT FOR AND FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SHEEP HERDER JOBS ARE, I THINK THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM THERE.

- IN 2020, THE US GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND MADE A NEW RULE STATING THAT EMPLOYERS MUST APPLY EACH SEASON FOR SHEEP HERDER VISAS.

DESPITE THE RULING, ADVOCATES SAY NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED, AND THE JOB REMAINS YEAR-ROUND.

- IT APPEARS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN WORKAROUNDS ON THE PART OF THE INDUSTRY TO CIRCUMVENT THAT ATTEMPT IN THIS SECTOR OF AGRICULTURE.

- MY HERDERS UNDER THE H-2A PROGRAM WILL BE HERE FOR THREE YEARS, BUT THEIR WORK PERIOD HAS TO BE RENEWED EVERY SIX MONTHS OR SO, WHICH COSTS MONEY, WHICH COSTS MORE MONEY, WHICH COSTS MORE MONEY.

BUT MOST OF US HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT FOR THESE GUYS THAT COME TO WORK FOR US.

WE'RE GOING TO TREAT THEM AS WELL AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.

- ANY EMPLOYER, IF HE'S RESPONSIBLE, WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELFARE OF HIS WORKERS.

I THINK PART OF THE PROBLEM IS YOU'VE GOT ONE GUY RESPONSIBLE FOR 1,200 HEAD OF ANIMALS OUT THERE, AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANOTHER RESOURCE YOU CAN TURN TO.

- THERE'S PLENTY OF RECOURSE OUT THERE THAT THESE GUYS HAVE IF THEY'RE NOT BEING TREATED FAIRLY.

I DON'T REALLY WANT TO SEE ANY MORE REGULATIONS THROWN INTO THESE PROGRAMS TO SAFEGUARD ABOUT THIS STUFF.

THESE GUYS, IF THEY DON'T TREAT THEM WELL, THEY PROBABLY SHOULD LEAVE.

I DON'T KNOW.

- IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE, LEAVE.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

THAT MEANS WALKING MILES AND MILES UNTIL YOU CAN FLAG DOWN A TRUCK DRIVER, OR AN OIL RIG, OR A HUNTER, OR SOMEBODY TO TAKE YOU INTO TOWN AND FIND HELP.

WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING TO WORKERS, EXPLAINING WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE, AND THEM TELLING US THAT THEIR EMPLOYER IS NOT COMPLYING WITH ANY OF THOSE.

AND THEN, WE EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE.

NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN, THEY'LL SAY, "OK, THANK YOU, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE I NEED TO COME BACK NEXT YEAR.

I DON'T WANT TO BE SENT HOME, SO I'M JUST GOING TO SUFFER THROUGH IT.” - THIS IS WHERE WE'LL BRING THE SHEEP IN THE FALL, AND ALSO, THIS IS WHERE WE USUALLY START OUT WITH ONE HERD IN THE SUMMERTIME.

THIS AREA IS WHAT WE CALL THE MEADOWS.

MOST OF THESE SHEEP ARE WHITE-FACED EWES.

THE BLACK SHEEP YOU SEE IN THERE ARE WHAT WE CALL MARKERS, AND SO THE HERDER WILL COUNT THESE BLACK EWES EVERY DAY.

AND IF HE'S GOT THE SAME NUMBER OF BLACK EWES EVERY DAY, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, HE SHOULD HAVE MOST OF THE SHEEP THERE.

- RANCHERS RELY ON BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LAND TO GRAZE THEIR SHEEP.

PUBLIC LANDS TEND TO BE CHEAPER AND ARE ABUNDANT IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST, AND THEY'VE BEEN AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR RANCHERS SINCE THE 1880S.

- THE MAJORITY OF YOUR WESTERN RANGE EWES ARE GOING TO BE FOUND IN THE MOUNTAIN STATES, WHICH COLORADO IS ONE, WHERE WE RUN OUR HERDS IN BIGGER BANDS WITH A LOT OF PUBLIC LANDS, A LOT OF BIG PRIVATE LANDS.

A LOT OF THIS COUNTRY IN COLORADO, WESTERN COLORADO PARTICULARLY, WERE RAISED AND BUILT BY SHEEP OPERATIONS.

YOU KNOW?

NOT SO MUCH ANYMORE.

NOT VERY MANY OF US LEFT.

- TO GRAZE ON PUBLIC LAND, RANCHERS MUST APPLY FOR PERMITS, WHICH OFTEN STAY IN FAMILIES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

BUT THOSE PERMITS, ALSO KNOWN AS ALLOTMENTS, ARE A POINT OF CONTENTION.

- THERE IS THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE BIGHORN SHEEP AND THE DOMESTIC SHEEP, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PUBLIC LAND SHUT DOWN TO GRAZING, AND BIGHORN SHEEP IS ONE OF THE REASONS THEY'RE STATING TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN.

- THE BIGGEST RISK TO BIGHORN SHEEP IN THE STATE IS PATHOGENS TRANSMITTED FROM DOMESTIC SHEEP.

THERE ARE ABOUT 480 DOMESTIC SHEEP GRAZING ALLOTMENTS ON BLM AND FOREST SERVICE LANDS IN COLORADO.

NEARLY 100 OF THOSE OVERLAP BIGHORN SHEEP'S OVERALL RANGE.

THIS IS A MAP OF COLORADO, AND THE LARGE BROWN SPOTS YOU SEE ON THIS MAP ARE BIGHORN SHEEP RANGE.

THE SMALLER, LITTLE GREEN POLYGONS ARE ACTIVE DOMESTIC SHEEP ALLOTMENTS MANAGED BY THE US FOREST SERVICE, AND THE YELLOW SPOTS ARE ACTIVE DOMESTIC SHEEP ALLOTMENTS MANAGED BY THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT.

ANYWHERE THAT BIGHORN SHEEP HERDS EXIST WITH DOMESTIC SHEEP GRAZING, THERE'S A GREAT RISK FOR EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY HEALTH CONCERN FOR BIGHORN SHEEP IN THE STATE.

THERE ARE OTHER CHALLENGES FACING BIGHORN SHEEP IN THE STATE, FROM INCREASED RECREATION, LOSS OF HABITAT, BUT BY AND FAR, THE GREATEST RISK IS THESE RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS FROM DOMESTIC SHEEP.

IT JUST TAKES ONE CONTACT, ONE TRANSMISSION OF THE PATHOGENS THAT CAN CAUSE DISEASE TO WIPE A HERD OUT.

AND ONCE BIGHORN SHEEP HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, THEY CAN MOVE THAT PATHOGEN TO OTHER BIGHORN SHEEP.

AND IN SOME HERDS, WE LOSE NEARLY EVERY LAMB EVERY YEAR, SO YOU HAVE A STAGNANT TO DWINDLING POPULATION OF BIGHORN SHEEP.

SO, COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE DOES THE BEST JOB THEY CAN WITH THE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO SURVEY HERDS IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEM.

- SO, I CAN'T TELL WITH THE ONE EWE THAT'S LAYING DOWN, BUT I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT MATURE EWES.

- OUR MANDATE IS TO MANAGE THESE POPULATIONS FOR THE PEOPLE OF COLORADO, AND THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WATCH OUT FOR ANY ISSUES THAT MIGHT CAUSE DECREASES IN SHEEP POPULATIONS.

- ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO.

- AS FAR AS HABITAT GOES, OR BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES, OR DISEASE INTERACTIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE WATCH OUT FOR, THOSE ARE ALL CONCERNS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED OVER THE YEARS THROUGH RESEARCH.

- THIS VIDEO IS A VIDEO THAT WE TOOK UP ON PIKE'S PEAK THIS SUMMER.

THERE WERE SIX LAMBS, I BELIEVE, IN THE GROUP, AND EVERY ONE OF THE SIX LAMBS WERE DISPLAYING SYMPTOMS OF PNEUMONIA.

[SHEEP COUGHING] YOU CAN HEAR THE SOUND.

IT'S NOT EASY TO WATCH.

REALLY, REALLY SAD TO OBSERVE.

IT'S JUST HARD SITTING THERE WATCHING THE LAMBS ON THE SIDE, AND SEEING THEM, AND THEN REALIZING THAT MOST OF THOSE LAMBS WILL DIE BEFORE WINTER ENDS.

- BIGHORN SHEEP RESPIRATORY DISEASE IS THE LEADING INFECTIOUS CAUSE OF DEATH IN BIGHORN SHEEP, AND THERE IS SOME REALLY GOOD RESEARCH OUT THERE SHOWING THAT WHEN DOMESTIC SHEEP AND BIGHORN SHEEP CONTACT EACH OTHER, THE RESULT OFTEN IS THAT BIGHORN SHEEP DIE FROM PNEUMONIA.

AND THE DISEASE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR OVER 100 YEARS, SO BIGHORN SHEEP MORTALITY HAS BEEN NOTICED BY PEOPLE FROM THE FIRST SETTLERS THAT CAME HERE.

- WHAT SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE IS THE PRIMARY PATHOGEN THAT TRIGGERS RESPIRATORY DISEASE IN BIGHORN SHEEP IS CALLED MYCOPLASMA OVIPNEUMONIAE, WHICH CAME OVER WITH DOMESTIC SHEEP FROM THE OLD WORLD WHEN THEY BROUGHT DOMESTIC SHEEP OVER HERE.

WHEN WHITE SETTLERS REALLY STARTED MOVING INTO COLORADO IN THE LATE 1800S, ALL OF OUR LARGE WILDLIFE, DEER, ELK, PRONGHORN, BISON, AND BIGHORN SHEEP, FACED A LOT OF PRESSURES FROM MARKET HUNTING AND SUBSISTENCE HUNTING, AND FOR BIGHORN SHEEP, IMPACTS FROM DISEASE FROM DOMESTIC SHEEP.

AND WE HAVE REDUCED THEM TO ALMOST NOTHING LEFT FROM WHAT THEIR HISTORICAL POPULATIONS WERE.

THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE LAST 100 YEARS, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED DIE-OFFS IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT HERDS IN THE STATE, AND A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A DEVASTATING DIE-OFF IN COLORADO WAS WITH THE TRICKLE MOUNTAIN HERD.

TRICKLE MOUNTAIN HERD IS RIGHT AROUND SAGUACHE AT THE NORTH END OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY.

THAT HERD HISTORICALLY HAD 400 OR MORE ANIMALS.

IN THE EARLY TO MID-1990S, THAT HERD SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC DIE-OFF, AND IT WENT FROM 400 SHEEP TO 35 SHEEP, AND TRICKLE MOUNTAIN HERD REMAINED AT 35 SHEEP UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, BUT IT HAS TAKEN NEARLY 30 YEARS FOR THAT RECOVERY TO BEGIN.

- THIS PROBLEM JUST HAS NEVER GONE AWAY SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF REALLY SMART PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A REALLY LONG TIME, AND A GOOD SOLUTION STILL HASN'T COME TO THE FOREFRONT.

I STARTED WORK ON BIGHORN SHEEP RESPIRATORY DISEASE IN 2009.

SO, THIS IS OUR FREEZER ARCHIVE AND ALL OF OUR SAMPLES THAT WE'LL BE TESTING.

I'M SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR THE BIGHORN SHEEP RESPIRATORY DISEASE COMPLEX.

SOME OF OUR SAMPLES IN HERE.

AND IT'S COMPOSED OF MULTIPLE PATHOGENS.

THERE'S FOUR THAT I'M SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR WHEN I'M DOING PCR, AND ALL OF THOSE ARE CARRIED BY DOMESTIC SHEEP.

- SCIENTISTS AND ADVOCATES HAVE SPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TRYING TO COME UP WITH A VACCINE, BUT BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THE DISEASE AND THE WAY THE STRAINS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, CREATING A VACCINE HASN'T BEEN FEASIBLE AND WOULD BE INCREDIBLY COSTLY, ESPECIALLY IF IT WERE BORNE BY RANCHERS.

- THERE'S A LOT TO BE KNOWN ABOUT THE RISK OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION BETWEEN DOMESTIC SHEEP AND BIGHORN SHEEP.

I MEAN, IF YOU LISTEN TO THE BIGHORN SHEEP FOLKS, THEY CLAIM THAT DOMESTIC SHEEP WITHIN AN AREA OF BIGHORN SHEEP ARE AUTOMATICALLY GOING TO BE CONSIDERED DEATH TO THE BIGHORN SHEEP AND THAT THEY WILL DIE OUT.

WELL, THIS AREA HERE IN PARTICULAR, SAN JUANS, THEY'VE HAD SHEEP FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS, AND WE'VE HAD BIGHORN SHEEP FOR THAT LONG TOO.

- SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE MANY AREAS WHERE WE HAVE DIRECTLY OVERLAPPING ALLOTMENTS WITH BIGHORN SHEEP HABITAT, AND THOSE ARE THE AREAS OF PRIMARY CONCERN FOR US.

ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE ARE FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS ON TO TRY TO REDUCE CONFLICT IS IN THE SAN JUANS WEST HERD.

IT HAS NUMEROUS GRAZING ALLOTMENTS THAT OVERLAP THE BIGHORN SHEEP RANGE, AND THESE BLUE ALLOTMENTS HERE INDICATE THE ALLOTMENTS THAT THE ETCHART FAMILY RETIRED LAST YEAR THROUGH THEIR AGREEMENT WITH THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION.

- THIS WILL BE THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE'VE REMAINED ON PRIVATE LAND ALL SUMMER LONG.

AND IT'S NICE.

WE WERE ONE OF THE MORE FORTUNATE ONES.

I MEAN, LEASES ARE HARD TO COME BY.

IT'S TAKEN US MANY, MANY YEARS TO BE ABLE TO PUT THESE LEASES TOGETHER.

MY BROTHER AND I RUN THE RANCH.

RIGHT NOW, WE CARRY 3,200 EWES, EWE LAMB PAIRS.

IT'S A GOOD BUSINESS.

WE RAISE GOOD QUALITY LAMB, PROBABLY NO BETTER LAMB IN THE COUNTRY THAN THESE COLORADO LAMBS, AND WE'VE GOT A CLIP OF WOOL THAT'S REALLY SOUGHT AFTER AS WELL.

GRAZING LANDS ARE IMPORTANT.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH GRAZING, OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T CARRY THE SHEEP NUMBERS THAT YOU NEED.

SO, WHETHER THAT BE PRIVATE LAND OR FEDERAL LANDS, THAT'S ALWAYS HUGE.

AND WE RELINQUISHED SOME OF OUR FEDERAL LAND GRAZING PERMITS THAT WERE UP HIGH JUST BECAUSE THEY HAD SO MANY ISSUES WITH EITHER CONFLICTS WITH RECREATIONAL USE OR BIGHORN SHEEP.

- THIS IS A PICTURE OF THREE BIGHORN SHEEP THAT WERE OBSERVED ON ONE OF THE ETCHART FAMILY'S ALLOTMENTS.

HE SAW THE BIGHORNS IN HIS HERD, DID THE RIGHT THING, AND CALLED PARKS AND WILDLIFE, AND THEY EUTHANIZED THESE THREE BIGHORNS BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF IT RETURNING BACK TO ITS HERD WITH PATHOGENS FROM DOMESTIC SHEEP.

I FIRST MET WITH ERNIE IN 2017, AND WE DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF A VOLUNTARY PERMIT WAIVER, AND HE SAID, "THANK YOU.

I DON'T THINK I'M READY NOW, BUT I MIGHT BE SOMEDAY.” AND INDEED HE WAS SOMEDAY, AND SO HE WAIVED PERMITS FOR TEN ALLOTMENTS.

- WE'VE BEEN GETTING PRESSURE FROM BIGHORN SHEEP SOCIETY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

I MEAN, THEY WANTED US TO BE PERFECT OUT THERE, AND SOMETIMES THAT'S PRETTY TOUGH TO BE PERFECT WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH ANIMALS THAT HAVE A MIND OF THEIR OWN.

- WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER WHAT PEOPLE DO ON THEIR PRIVATE LANDS, BUT ON PUBLIC LANDS, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROTECT BIGHORN SHEEP FROM THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

- TO DATE, ONLY A FEW SHEEP RANCHERS HAVE AGREED TO GIVE UP THEIR GRAZING ALLOTMENTS THROUGH PAID BUYOUTS WITH WILDLIFE ADVOCATES.

AS A RESULT, STATE WILDLIFE OFFICIALS AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE HAD TO FIND OTHER WAYS TO CONSERVE BIGHORN SHEEP.

ONE IMPORTANT TOOL THEY HAVE IS TO TRANSPORT HANDFULS OF BIGHORN SHEEP FROM HEALTHY HERDS, RELOCATE THEM, AND ESTABLISH NEW HERDS.

- IF A SHEEP GETS OUT OF THE NET AND IT IS CLEAR AND FREE OF THE NET, DON'T TRY CHASING IT DOWN AND CATCHING IT, JUST LET IT GO AT THAT POINT.

IF IT'S SOMETHING WHERE WE CAN STILL GET A HOLD OF THAT SHEEP AND RESTRAIN IT, THEN LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.

- TODAY, WE ARE TRAPPING BIGHORN SHEEP OUT OF OUR RAMPART SHEEP HERD ON THE WEST SIDE OF COLORADO SPRINGS AND TRANSLOCATING THOSE SHEEP DOWN TO AN AREA WEST OF PUEBLO.

- HUMAN SAFETY, THAT IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY HERE TODAY, THAT EVERYBODY LEAVES HERE AT THE END OF THE DAY WITHOUT ANY INJURIES.

NUMBER TWO IS ANIMAL SAFETY, MAKING SURE THAT THE SHEEP ARE SAFE, THAT THE SHEEP AREN'T HARMED.

AND THEN, NUMBER THREE IS ACTUALLY THE SUCCESS OF THE OPERATION AND THE CAPTURE HERE TODAY.

EVERYBODY GRAB A SET OF HOBBLES AND A BLINDFOLD, AND THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND START LOADING UP IN TRUCKS, GUYS.

- IN THIS CASE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS TAKING ABOUT 20 SHEEP DOWN THERE, AND THE MAJORITY ARE GOING TO BE ADULT EWES, AND THEN WE WANT TO HAVE SOME LAMBS AND MAYBE A COUPLE OF YOUNG RAMS.

THERE'S A NET THAT'S SET UP THERE THAT HAS POSTS AROUND THE EDGE OF THE NET, AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO LAY OUT SOME APPLE MASH IN THERE UNDERNEATH THE NET TO TELL THE SHEEP THAT IT'S TIME TO COME DOWN.

SO, WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT COMPOSITION OF SHEEP TO COME IN, AND THE NET'S GOING TO FALL ON THE SHEEP, AND THEN THAT'S WHEN WE GO UP THERE.

[MUSIC] - SO, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO WAIT A LITTLE BIT.

WE'D LIKE THIS NEXT GROUP TO COME DOWN.

WE NEED A FEW MORE MATURE EWES IN THE GROUP, AT LEAST.

[MUSIC] TIM, WE'RE GETTING SET UP HERE.

WE MIGHT BE A GO HERE IN JUST A SECOND.

HOLD TIGHT.

- ALL RIGHT, TRAP DOWN, TRAP DOWN.

[MUSIC] - THIS ONE IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT HERE, SARAH.

- SO, THIS PARTICULAR HERD IS GENERALLY FREE OF DISEASE, AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET THESE SHEEP OUT INTO AS MANY OF THE SUITABLE HABITATS AS WE CAN TO EXPAND HERDS AND SHEEP POPULATIONS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE.

- WE'RE COLLARING THE SHEEP.

WE'RE GOING TO BE EAR-TAGGING THE SHEEP.

THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF SAMPLES THAT WILL BE TAKEN, BLOOD SAMPLES, ORAL SWABS, NASAL SWABS, AND THEN THEY'LL BE LOADED INTO THE TRAILER TO GO DOWN TO THEIR NEW HOME.

- WE'VE BEEN DOING THESE TRANSPLANTS FOR DECADES NOW, AND THIS IS CRITICAL TO OUR BIGHORN SHEEP CONSERVATION EFFORTS.

AND DR. KAREN FOX IS HERE TODAY, AND SHE'S TAKING SAMPLES.

THAT'S GOING TO HELP HER IN HER RESEARCH FROM A HEALTHY SHEEP HERD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HEALTHY SHEEP LOOK LIKE VERSUS OTHERS.

- AND THIS IS ALL THEIR SAMPLES?

- YES.

- ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS RESEARCH CAN DO IS IT CAN HELP IMPROVE SURVEILLANCE.

SO, WHEN YOU DO GET A SAMPLE FROM A BIGHORN SHEEP, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY, "HERE'S WHAT I FOUND IN THIS ANIMAL.” AND IF I PUT THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF ALL THIS OTHER WORK THAT I'VE DONE, I CAN TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT ANTICIPATE IS GOING ON IN THE HERD BASED ON WHAT THE BACTERIA LOOK LIKE.

- OKAY, NOW WE'LL DO A NASAL.

- I FEEL LIKE MY ROLE IS TO DO THE BEST RESEARCH THAT I CAN TO FIND THE MOST ACCURATE ANSWERS TO HELP UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING.

AND HOPEFULLY, THAT INFORMATION CAN BE USED BY THOSE PEOPLE MAKING THE HARD DECISIONS AND DOING THAT HARD JOB.

- IF WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO LET NATURE BE NATURE, WILD BE WILD, WE DO THAT.

BUT WE'RE IN A SITUATION NOW WHERE BECAUSE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON THE LANDSCAPE, OUR WILDLIFE SPECIES, THINGS LIKE BIGHORN SHEEP, THEIR NUMBERS ARE FAR BELOW WHERE THEY WERE PRE-EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT.

WE NEED TO TAKE ACTIONS AS HUMANS TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S THIS LEGACY OF WILDLIFE AND HEALTHY, THRIVING POPULATIONS GOING FORWARD.

- WE'LL CONTINUE TO STRIVE TO KEEP SHEEP ON THE LANDSCAPE AND KEEP HEALTHY POPULATIONS OF SHEEP ON THE LANDSCAPE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO FACE CHALLENGES IN DOING THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE ALL OF THOSE POSSIBLE DOMESTIC INTERACTIONS ARE.

- TODAY, THERE ARE STILL ABOUT 470 ACTIVE GRAZING ALLOTMENTS ON COLORADO'S PUBLIC LANDS, MANY OF WHICH OVERLAP WITH BIGHORN SHEEP HABITAT.

SO, THE RISK OF INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO SPECIES REMAINS HIGH.

- THE ONLY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO REALLY PROTECT BIGHORN SHEEP IS SEPARATION BETWEEN BIGHORN SHEEP AND DOMESTIC SHEEP.

SO, IN COLORADO, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME TO AGREEMENTS WITH FOUR DIFFERENT RANCHERS TO RETIRE 14 DOMESTIC SHEEP GRAZING ALLOTMENTS.

- INITIALLY, WHEN WE WERE FIRST APPROACHED FOR THE RELINQUISHMENT OF THOSE ALLOTMENTS BACK TO THE FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES, IT WAS ALMOST, "WELL, WHERE ARE WE GOING TO GO?” BUT OVER TIME, AND WITH THEIR INCENTIVE THAT THEY PROVIDED US, WE WENT AHEAD AND RELINQUISHED OUR HIGH COUNTRY PERMITS.

THEY WERE GOOD PERMITS.

IT'S SAD.

IT WAS A HARD DECISION.

WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THAT CHANGE.

NOT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO MAKE THAT CHANGE.

IN FACT, I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY MORE THAN NOT WOULD HAVE TO SELL OUT.

IT'S JUST THAT HARD TO COME UP WITH PRIVATE LAND GRAZING.

BECAUSE THAT PRIVATE LAND GRAZING NOT ONLY HAS TO COMPETE WITH OTHER SHEEP PEOPLE, BUT IT HAS TO COMPETE WITH CATTLE GRAZERS TOO WHO ARE LOOKING FOR IT.

SO, WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIX IT AND NOT GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

SOME OTHERS MIGHT NOT BE AS FORTUNATE.

- SO, THERE ARE THREE BIGHORN SHEEP OVER ON THIS SIDE OF THE CANYON.

AND THIS SIDE OF THE CANYON WAS GRAZED WITH DOMESTIC SHEEP UP UNTIL LAST YEAR WHEN THAT ALLOTMENT WAS VACATED.

WE DON'T WANT TO FORCE PEOPLE OFF PUBLIC LANDS AND OUT OF BUSINESS.

WE WANT TO CONTINUE WORKING ON SOLUTIONS THAT ACTUALLY SATISFY DOMESTIC SHEEP PRODUCERS AND WILD SHEEP ADVOCATES.

- WHEN YOU DO LOSE THAT KIND OF LAND AND YOU CAN'T REPLACE IT, YOU CAN'T FEED LIVESTOCK AND EXPECT TO BE PROFITABLE.

YOUR ONLY OTHER OPTION IS TO LIQUIDATE.

- FOR RANCHERS AND FARMERS, YOUR WEALTH IS TIED UP IN THE LAND.

SO, THE WEALTH IS THERE, IT'S JUST NOT LIQUID.

CATCH A LAMB.

LOVE UP ON THE LAMB.

PROBABLY ALMOST ANY TIME THE LAND WOULD BE MORE PROFITABLE IF YOU WERE LOOKING TO SELL IT.

WHERE'S MISTY AT?

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY.

MONEY'S GOOD, BUT IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY.

I LOOK AT IT A LOT AS HERITAGE.

THERE'S MISTY.

I'M NOT SURE THE HERITAGE IS GOING TO CONTINUE, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE IT CONTINUE ON WITH ONE OF MY CHILDREN.

- I'VE BEEN AROUND SHEEP MY WHOLE LIFE.

I LOVE GROWING UP WITH THE LITTLE BABIES AND SNUGGLING THEM OR THE BOTTLE BABIES.

RIGHT NOW, I'M IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

I'M AN INFANT CARE PROVIDER, BUT I LIKE WORKING ON THE RANCH.

I LOOK FORWARD TO BRING IT ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION AND TEACH MORE PEOPLE ABOUT IT FROM MY POINT OF VIEW.

- I THINK THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ITSELF IS SHRINKING, AND THE YOUNGER GENERATION IS EITHER NOT WILLING, OR NOT WANTING TO, OR UNABLE TO CONTINUE ON.

- IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET INTO THIS BUSINESS.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT IF WE DON'T SUPPORT OUR RURAL BUSINESSES, SHEEP RANCHING, CATTLE RANCHING, FARMING, THAT THIS OPEN GROUND, THIS OPEN SPACE, AND THE PEOPLE THAT TAKE CARE OF IT ARE GOING TO DISAPPEAR.

- IT'S JUST SAD FOR ME TO SEE OUR TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE AND WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR YEARS AND YEARS JUST DISAPPEAR.

IT'S JUST A LITTLE SAD.

I'D LIKE TO SEE IT CONTINUE, BUT MY FAMILY'S BEEN DOING IT FOR FOUR GENERATIONS, AND WHEN I GIVE IT UP, THAT WILL BE THE END FOR THE FIELD FAMILY.

- RIGHT NOW, I'M FOCUSING ON MY EARLY CHILDHOOD CAREER, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF IT.

IT WORRIES ME A LITTLE FINANCIALLY, BUT IF IT CAME DOWN TO IT, I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE OVER AND BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF IT.

- I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE THE SHEEP INDUSTRY ITSELF CONTINUE, SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT.

[MUSIC]