Desert bighorn sheep establish two desert areas in southwestern Arizona to help preserve the desert bighorn sheep: Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. In 1941, the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico was added. Desert bighorn sheep populations have trended upward since the 1960s when their population was estimated at 6,700-8,100. The upward trend was caused by conservation measures, including habitat preservation. In 1980, desert bighorn sheep populations were estimated at 8,415-9,040. A state-by-state survey was conducted a few years later and estimated the overall US desert bighorn sheep population at 15,980. The 1993 estimate of
Escalante Desert Escalante Desert The Escalante Desert is a geographic Great Basin region and arid desert ecoregion, in the Deserts and xeric shrublands Biome, located in southwestern Utah. The Escalante Desert is northwest of Cedar City in Iron County, Utah, and extends into part of Millard County. The region spans most of Iron County, which annually has rainfall and snowfall. The Escalante region also lies primarily between State Route 56 and Route 21, as well as north and west of Interstate 15. From the Escalante Desert region's peripheral ridges, the elevation slowly declines to Lund Flats (), which has railroad tracks between