The buyout of domestic sheep on the Halverson Ranch was a project with a number of community partners, Including MOE, local ranchers, BCWF and the WSSoBC. The project began in late spring of 2007 with Irene Teske, sheep and goat biologist for the Ministry of Environment in the East Kootenays bringing the project to our attention. Radio-telemmetry work done by Parks Canada staff indicated that sheep wintering on Mount Swansea were found in the same areas occupied by Halverson's domestic sheep. At least three die-offs in the East Kootenay have begun in areas where domestic and wild sheep have mixed. Research in the 1980's in Alberta and southeastern British Columbia has indicated that there is a strain of Pasteurella bacteria (type t) which may spread from domestic sheep to wild sheep. Bighorn sheep death from pneumonia is the common result of this bacterial transfer. The Ministry of Environment initiated a study in the late 1990's to determine where domestic and wild sheep overlapped. Where domestic and wild sheep overlap, the objective is to separate the species by double fencing or buy out the producer and develop some sort of legal agreement to prevent future domestic sheep operations in those areas.

An amount of $30,000 was raised for buyout of the domestic sheep, including compensation to the Halverson's for the sale of domestic sheep, rehabilitation of grasslands on the ranch and development of a "Profit a Prendre" agreement to prevent future ranching of domestic sheep on this land.

The Wild Sheep Society of BC would like to thank the BCWF, MOE and the local ranchers in the area for supporting the Wild Sheep Of BC, we look forward to further such joint projects.