Final mountain goat management plan for Olympic National Park released

[520backyard]

Well one of the reasons why relocating these goats from the peninsula is a good idea is that they do increase the genetic diversity among the goat populations in the Cascades. Now that being said is there a time frame when they no longer have a positive effect on the genetic diversity of the Cascade goat population? I am sure there is but that is decades from now. These goats could and should be used as a means to replenish the obviously mismanaged and depleted mountain goat population within the state. Relocating these goats in substantial numbers would be a long term plan that would reduce the impact of the goats upon the park and increase the goat population in this state and everyone wins to some degree. Any plan that calls for lethal removal of this resource is not a win for the citizens of this state.

The problem as I see it is that the NPS want's a final solution to their "goat problem" and so they are pushing for eradication.

National Parks around the country are trying to provide a place where people can go and experience a land that is as close to untouched by human hands as possible; Yellow Stone is removing lake trout, Grand Canyon is removing buffalo, Olympics are removing goats.

There are many such cases and in many cases what the NPS wants and what the citizens want are two different things. And public opinion and what the citizens want has stopped some of those actions by the NPS. The parks belong to the citizens not to a government entity, a fact that is at times overlooked.

[X-Force]

Roosevelt elk are native to California, Oregon, Washington and BC. They aren't native to Alaska.

The reason for this move is specifically because of the ONP and the parks determination to remove nonnative and invasive species. If goats were only outside of the park on national forest, private or dnr land there wouldn't be an issue.

I will be curious just like you on how these goats inhabit their new space. I would be awesome to see a growth rate of 8%.

Approximately 15% of the goats to be removed reside on USFS land outside the park and the goats are under the control of WDFW. Only 10% of the total population of those goats outside the park migrate back forth between USFS land and ONP.

In talking to the WDFW biologist the other day I specifically asked why those goats had to be removed and the reply was "because they are not native".

The biologist is right, the park service wants the goat gone because they are nonnative and the park service asked WDFW, USFS to remove the goats on their land because of the possibility of them moving back into the park. If there are 650 goats on the peninsula and 97 of them live outside of the park and 10 of those 97 move in and out of the park then that is roughly the same number of goats that started this herd so I can see why the park would want those outside goats gone.

[520backyard]

Roosevelt elk are native to California, Oregon, Washington and BC. They aren't native to Alaska.

The reason for this move is specifically because of the ONP and the parks determination to remove nonnative and invasive species. If goats were only outside of the park on national forest, private or dnr land there wouldn't be an issue.

I will be curious just like you on how these goats inhabit their new space. I would be awesome to see a growth rate of 8%.

Approximately 15% of the goats to be removed reside on USFS land outside the park and the goats are under the control of WDFW. Only 10% of the total population of those goats outside the park migrate back forth between USFS land and ONP.

In talking to the WDFW biologist the other day I specifically asked why those goats had to be removed and the reply was "because they are not native".

The biologist is right, the park service wants the goat gone because they are nonnative and the park service asked WDFW, USFS to remove the goats on their land because of the possibility of them moving back into the park. If there are 650 goats on the peninsula and 97 of them live outside of the park and 10 of those 97 move in and out of the park then that is roughly the same number of goats that started this herd so I can see why the park would want those outside goats gone.

So 9 goats would be hard to remove from the park as needed yearly or every few years and be a maintenance problem in your opinion. I disagree with the fact that goats outside the park are going to be eradicated and think that the 9 goats could be dealt with in a maintenance fashion as need to prevent their number from increasing without further reducing WDFW goat populations in the area. And the whole reason the goat population is what it is in the park is because those goats initially put there were not managed and their population was allowed to continually increase. Had they been managed and their numbers reduced throughout the years after it was made a park in 1938 this problem would likely not be what we are lead to believe it is today. In effect the NPS's own policies created this problem.

[Katmai Guy]

Roosevelt elk are native to California, Oregon, Washington and BC. They aren't native to Alaska.

The reason for this move is specifically because of the ONP and the parks determination to remove nonnative and invasive species. If goats were only outside of the park on national forest, private or dnr land there wouldn't be an issue.

I will be curious just like you on how these goats inhabit their new space. I would be awesome to see a growth rate of 8%.

My bad, I had that about the elk screwed up.

[jackelope]

https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonFishWildlife/videos/455872061584998/

[jackelope]

[X-Force]

Super excited about this!

Weather hasnt been the best but goats are still moving.