La Quinta approves fence to keep bighorn sheep out

While some people on this Silver Rock golf course said it’s a peaceful view to see the bighorn sheep graze, representatives for the Sierra Club said it’s killing the species.

“It’s a very counter-intuitive thing because it may seem grass and water is a very wonderful thing for the bighorn sheep but the reality is they actually encounter diseases that they don’t encounter in the wild,” attorney for the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity, Wayne Brechtel said.

Brechtel said for every three lambs that survive in the wild, only one survives in urban areas. A statistic the Sierra Club said is why an 8-foot-tall fence is needed to keep them in their natural habitat. La Quinta City Council members agreed.

“We’re very appreciative of the city’s efforts to resolve it with the Sierra Club. We’re satisfied with the outcome,” Silver Rock Development representative John Gamlin said.

La Quinta City Council members approved to immediately look for bids to build the fence and ultimately find a way to protect the species.

“It’s time to put up the fence to protect the bighorn sheep so the folks who look at bighorn sheep will have something to look at other than a statue so that they don’t go extinct,” Brechtel said.

The city will be seeking bids for the next 15 days. Brechtel said, this is a win for protecting the sheep but there is more work to be done farther down the mountainside.