The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) today applauded Alberta’s Minister’s Special License Auction (MSLA) Adjudication Committee, and the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) for the recent allocation of critical conservation funding from the sale of special Conservation Permits and for seeing that these funds are directed to areas of greatest conservation need in the province. WSF has auctioned the Minister’s bighorn sheep permit at its annual Sheep Show® Convention since 1995.

“It’s great to see such an impactful program coming full circle,” commented WSF President and CEO, Gray N. Thornton. “Conservation Permits supply real and durable funding for big game conservation programs, which end up benefiting a host of other wildlife species that exist on the same landscapes.”

In all, 15 projects received funding from the 2025-26 MSLA grants totaling $1,040,661 CAD, including Managing Disease Risk for Bighorn Sheep and Pronghorn Winter Survival and Migration.

The MSLA program began in 1995 with a special license for bighorn sheep. It has expanded over the years to offer eight once-in-a-lifetime hunting opportunities available to Alberta resident hunters and international hunting visitors.

APOS administers the special permits for bighorn sheep, mule deer, moose, elk, whitetail deer, pronghorn, cougar, and turkey, working with WSF and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo to market the permits. After raising $596,750 USD in 2024, the auctioned permits went on to raise $651,000 USD in spring 2025, with the addition of the newest permits for whitetail and cougar.

Funds generated by the permits go back into Alberta wildlife stewardship and conservation projects. A multi-stakeholder MSLA Adjudication Committee handles the granting process to review applications and distribute funds. The MSLA Stakeholder Advisory Committee set the following focus areas for the 2025-26 funding year, seeking projects that:

• Identify and enhance habitat that supports target wildlife,
• Develop techniques and capacity to assess population size, wildlife demography, and vulnerability to anthropogenic threats,
• Advance the understanding and prevention of wildlife disease, with a particular interest in M.ovi.

“We’re proud to be a part of this highly successful program,” Thornton added. Since 1995, WSF has raised $5,976,000 USD from the sale of the province’s bighorn sheep permit, with the record amount contributed by one individual being $405,000. Everyone who cherishes these wildlife resources should thank the MSLA, APOS, our other conservation partners selling these permits, the buyers, and those dedicated grant recipients who do all the work on the ground.”

For more information on the MSLA grants and a complete list of 2025-26 wildlife projects, visit the APOS website.

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by sportsmen and other wild sheep conservationists. WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep, having raised and expended more than $145 million, positively impacting these species through population and habitat enhancements, research and education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia to “Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain”®. In North America, these and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations from historic lows in the 1950s-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. WSF has a membership of more than 11,000 worldwide. www.wildsheepfoundation.org