The Reintroduction of the Big Horn Sheep III

This print celebrates the Big Horn Sheep, a species returned to its historic habitat on Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe lands in 2020 after nearly a century of absence. Known as Nah'gah to the Southern Paiute Nuwu people, the mountain sheep is deeply sacred, honored as a protector and source of life.

I created this piece as part of a 2023 Burning Man commission for the Man Pavilion under the theme Animalia, drawing on research into desert species facing habitat loss. Today in 2026, this work feels even more urgent. The Trump administration has proposed cutting National Park Service operations by $1.2 billion, and the agency has already lost 24% of its permanent staff since January 2025. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is critical to species recovery and habitat protection, faces nearly $86 million in cuts, including reduced funding for Endangered Species Act programs. Species like the Big Horn Sheep depend on protected public lands and the people who steward them. Without staff, without funding, without science, their survival is at risk.

This fantastical portrait honors both a resilient species and the Indigenous stewardship that made its return possible. It is also a reminder that the fight to protect these creatures and their homelands is far from over.