In general, recovery plans are blueprints for action by federal and state agencies, other organizations, and citizens, and do not obligate the expenditure of funds or require that actions are implemented. The Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Plan (PDF) identified 16 historic herd units grouped into 4 recovery units. Those herd units range from Olancha Peak in the south to the Twin Lakes in the north. Federally-endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae; SNBS), the rarest sub-species of North American mountain sheep, are endemic to California and have been a flagship wilderness species for Yosemite National Park (YNP), Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park (SKNP) and several other public land and wildlife agencies. Vegetation succession and fire suppression have reduced habitat suitability for bighorn sheep throughout the western United States. One of the limiting factors for Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep identified in their recovery plan is the loss of open habitat. With the endorsement of the people of California, and backed by both federal and state law and ample funding, the survival of the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep became dependent on the success of the recovery plan. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are diurnal and gregarious with group size and composition depending on gender and season. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep declined during the late 1800s and disappeared from Yosemite and much of their historical range in the 1900s. The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is also listed by the state as endangered. California Department of Fish and Wildlife is the lead agency jointly with U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in collaboration with National Park Service, BLM, U. S. Forest Service, and USDA Wildlife Services. In 2007 the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Recovery Plan (PDF) was completed and implementation was underway. The plan specified herd units that needed to be occupied as well as minimum numbers of females by recovery unit necessary for downlisting and delisting. In order for the sheep to be downlisted, they must meet three required goals: 305 females distributed among 4 recovery units, Occupancy of 12 specified herd units; Implementation to prevent contact between the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep and domestic sheep and goats (U.S. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis; hereafter bighorn) received emergency listing as endangered species in 1999. Biologists monitor bighorn sheep on the park’s eastern boundary . This plan identifies key issues, sets recovery goals, and lists recommended recovery actions. Distribution and Habitat: The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep occurs in Tuolumne, Mono, Fresno, Inyo, and Tulare counties in California. The cost of the bighorn comeback ... who leads the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program. The plan called for monitoring population growth and carrying out augmentations and translocations in an effort to reach recovery goals. A committed leadership team that cared deeply for the fate of the Sierra Nevada bighorn, took ownership of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, applying scientific methodology and the use of GPS satellite tracking to their successful relocation efforts. Instead, the USFS will be conducting a separate analysis for CDFG actions which may need to be taken for their implementation of the Recovery Plan for Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Recovery Plan) activities on USFS lands. The Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation works in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which in 1999 was charged with developing a program to bring about the recovery of Sierra bighorn.A document called the Recovery Plan for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, prepared in 2007, shapes the activities of the Recovery Program. In 1999, with a successful petition for emergency listing under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts, dedicated funding was secured and the Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program was staffed.