It's that time of year. The J. Paul Brown family will move sheep in three groups from their ranch southwest of Ignacio north to the mountains.

"We have to go look at the feed (in the mountains) and make sure the feed is ready," Brown told the Times.

Presuming that it is, the first group will start on June 21. They will come through Bayfield on County Road 521 and up CR 501 on June 22, then on CR 240 to Lemon Reservoir on June 23, then up to the Browns' grazing allotment in the Weminuche Wilderness.

The second group will start on June 27 and come through Bayfield and up CR 501 on June 28.

A third group will go after July 4.

"We try to make as much time as we can in the morning and get off the road, like at the Forest Lakes fire station, give them a good rest," Brown said. "We have to move them while it's cool."

They will come back down from the mountains at the end of September, with one bunch providing the sheep for Bayfield Heritage Day and Sheep Trailing on Saturday, Sept. 24.