EAGLE, Idaho — "Why did the sheep cross the road?" Because not all of them made it across last weekend!
Every spring in Idaho, ranchers move their sheep up into the Boise National Forest through the end of summer. The sheep crossing can be quite a sight, but nonetheless still a headache for commuters, as thousands of sheep cross the highway for the seasonal migration.
Sheep rancher Frank Shirts brought his flock of approximately 2,500 sheep across Highway 55 (HWY 55) in Eagle on Saturday, April 20, but not all of them made it to the other side.
So, a second band of an additional 2,500 ewes and lambs will cross HWY 55 near Beacon Light junction on Sunday, April 28, at around 9 a.m.
Steve Stuebner, the spokesman for the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission, said that the crowd of onlookers on April 20 was perhaps the largest turnout he had seen in his 15 years participating in the event.
"I think it's sort of a page out of our history is what's appealing to them. It's a novelty. Maybe they've never seen anything like that before, but it's real typical in Idaho. When you're out in rural parts of Idaho in the spring and summer, or fall, you could run into a cattle drive or a sheep drive," he said.
Every year, the crossing causes a little bit of traffic and a lot of people want to see the event. Although it is Idaho, which is highly agrarian, it is not every day that one can view a blanket of sheep ambling across a highway.
The sheep crossing and migration to higher elevations for the summer is a tradition dating back around 100 years, and having the sheep graze in the forest helps prevent fires and invigorates plant growth.
These sheep in particular, are owned by Frank Shirts from Wilder. Stuebner said the sheep will continue their journey through the foothills for a few weeks, then they'll move into the Boise National Forest, where they'll spend the summer.
Ewe herd it here first! Don't miss this second opportunity to witness Idaho's 'ewe-nique' sheep crossing tradition.
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