Riverside County Sheep Barrier

November 30, 2023

Question: Is there an update on the fence construction project meant to keep bighorn sheep out of the community of La Quinta?

Answer: CDFW is working alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission on the construction of about two and a half miles of fencing between the city of La Quinta and the Santa Rosa mountains, in Riverside County. Peninsular bighorn sheep are federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act and are a fully protected species under California Fish and Game Code 4700.

The Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Barrier Project is meant to protect bighorn sheep from hazards of the urban environment in the La Quinta area. The fence will reduce the chances for a bighorn sheep to drown in residential pools or in canals, restrict access to roadways where they have been injured and killed by vehicle strikes and make it less likely that the sheep ingest toxins from decorative plantings.

The goal for the fence once completed is to encourage bighorn sheep to return to the desert slopes that are their natural habitat. Peninsular bighorn sheep have adapted over thousands of years to forage for desert plants and survive dry climates.

In mid-November, CDFW conducted a capture and collar event in which seven sheep were equipped with GPS collars and then released in the same area they were captured. Information gathered from the collars will assist CDFW biologists in tracking herd movement and behavior, as barrier construction continues.

The planning for the barrier began in 2014, with construction expected to be completed in 2024.