Utah Unearthed: The Bighorn Dilemma in a Changing Desert
Episode Synopsis
Moab is booming — with off-roaders, mountain bikers, and tourists flooding its iconic red-rock landscapes. But what does this mean for animals, like the elusive desert bighorn sheep, that also call it home? In this episode of Utah Unearthed, our team talks to Joel Berger, a wildlife biologist and professor at Colorado State University, who has spent the latest years of his storied career in Moab studying how desert bighorn sheep habituate to change.
The goal is to not only treat animals ethically at the moment, but then to use the information that we gather that can then help understand and minimize conflicts and lead to a longer-term survival.
About Utah Unearthed
Season 1 of Utah Unearthed takes you deep into the iconic red-rock terrain of Moab — a mecca for outdoor adventure and a hotspot for ecological curiosity. Each episode, the team interviews a different scientist from a different discipline who will help both hosts and listeners unearth Utah’s incredible natural history. This podcast supports the Museum’s mission to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within it. Learn more about the podcast here.
The hosts of Utah Unearthed include Aidan Bailey, an NHMU school outreach coordinator, Dr. Randy Irmis, NHMU’s curator of paleontology, and Andy Connolly, a former NHMU science communications specialist who now works with the Kansas Geological Survey. The show is produced and edited by Mark Johnston. Series logo by Will Shepherd.
