Wild Sheep Conservation in Action in Arizona Desert

In the remote expanse of Arizona’s Harcuvar Mountains, a new chapter of desert bighorn sheep conservation is taking shape. Across these sun-baked ridges, where water is scarce and survival demands resilience, a critical piece of habitat has been restored. The Reinhardt–Newton Water Catchment, a nearly 17,000-gallon guzzler, now stands as a lifeline in one of the toughest environments in the Southwest—linking fragmented habitat and supporting the future of an iconic species.

This project began as a collaboration between private landowners, the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, and the Wild Sheep Foundation. Backed by a grant and built on land specifically donated for conservation, the effort became the first time in the Society’s 50-year history that a water catchment was constructed on property it owns. It marks a new model for how private and public interests can unite to improve habitat at scale.

To help tell this story, the Wild Sheep Foundation hired Aptitude Outdoors to produce a short film documenting every phase of the project. Our role was to capture not only the mechanics of building a water system in unforgiving terrain, but the spirit of cooperation and determination that made it possible.

Volunteers faced weather delays, washed-out roads, and rugged terrain that demanded both heavy equipment and helicopter lifts. We filmed as crews carved a workable pad out of the mountainside, leveled rock by hand, compacted soil, and assembled a massive apron capable of harvesting over 1,600 gallons of water per inch of rainfall. Every obstacle highlighted the dedication of those involved and the shared belief that this project would change the landscape for bighorn sheep.

Positioned along a crucial 10-mile corridor, the new water source connects two herds that historically had little opportunity to move between mountain ranges. While sheep numbers in the immediate area are still small, biologists expect this catchment to spark new dispersal, new recruitment, and new long-term stability for desert bighorns in the Harcuvars. As many participating partners noted, “If you build it, they will come.”

Through interviews, on-the-ground coverage, and sweeping visuals of the desert landscape, Aptitude Outdoors set out to show what cooperative conservation looks like when everyone leans in. This catchment represents far more than steel, concrete, and collected rainfall—it is a demonstration of what’s possible when hunters, landowners, volunteers, and conservation organizations unite with purpose.

Aptitude Outdoors is proud to have been hired by the Wild Sheep Foundation to help share this story. The Reinhardt–Newton Water Catchment stands as a testament to what can be achieved when people choose action over talking, collaboration over division, and long-term wildlife stewardship over short-term convenience. It is conservation in its purest form: building something today so that wildlife can thrive tomorrow.