Second year of translocating mountain goats from the Olympics to the Cascades

[bearpaw]

Agencies to begin second year of translocating mountain goats from the Olympics to the Cascades

The first two-week capture period in September 2018 removed 115 mountain goats from the population in the park. An additional two-week period is planned for this year beginning August 19 through 30.

“Mountain goat relocation will allow these animals to reoccupy historical range areas in the Cascades and increase population viability,” said Jesse Plumage, USFS Wildlife Biologist.

While some mountain goat populations in the north Cascades have recovered since the 1990s, the species is still absent from many areas of its historic range.

This year there will be two staging areas for each two-week period.  For July and August, one staging area will be located on Hurricane Hill Road beyond the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center in Olympic National Park. The other staging area will be located in Olympic National Forest in the Hamma Hamma area in July and switch to the Mt. Ellinor area in August. The staging areas will be closed to public access.

The animals will be cared for by veterinarians before WDFW wildlife managers transport them to staging areas in the north Cascades for release. To maximize success, goats will be airlifted in their crates by helicopter directly to alpine habitats that have been selected for appropriate characteristics.

WDFW plans to release the mountain goats at six sites in the Cascades in July. Three of the release sites will be staged from the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS). These release sites include the Chikamin area on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Preacher Mountain on the MBS, and Hardscrabble Ridge on an inholding owned by Forterra. Two release areas are near mountain peaks south of the town of Darrington on the Darrington District of the MBS. The other is near Mt. Index on the Skykomish Ranger District of the MBS.

Mountain goats follow and approach hikers because they are attracted to the salt from their sweat, urine, and food. That behavior is less likely in the north Cascades where visitors are more widely distributed than those at Olympic National Park, said Dr. Rich Harris, a WDFW wildlife manager who specializes in mountain goats.

“In addition, the north Cascades has natural salt licks, while the Olympic Peninsula has virtually none,” Harris said. “We’d expect salt hunger to be lower in goats that have natural sources available to them.”

full story: https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/agencies-begin-second-year-translocating-mountain-goats-olympics-cascades

[bbarnes]

The goats have RUINED mount saint Helens for elk hunting.They estimate about 460 goats with only 2 tags given out to hunt them.The habitats have been wiped out at upper elevations due to the goats eating everything down to the roots.

[Skyvalhunter]

Whats the solution? More goat permits?

[hunterofelk]

Saw some goats near Preacher Mountain in late April.

[2MANY]

Goat=Invasive Species

[duckmen1]

The goats have RUINED mount saint Helens for elk hunting.They estimate about 460 goats with only 2 tags given out to hunt them.The habitats have been wiped out at upper elevations due to the goats eating everything down to the roots.

A lot of the upper elevations where goats are present are not typically general season areas for elk hunting though. I don't see how that has played a major role in the elk hunting. I believe the most effect has came from hoof rot. Just my opinion.

[Bushcraft]

Maybe we could arrange a goat count for the St. Helens sub-population?

460 goats with only 2 tags seems strange.

Gotta be more to the story there since WDFW generally allocates one tag per 100 goats (not that I agree with that calculus).

[fireweed]

I almost wonder if one of those translocated goats didn't walk past me at a trailhead outside CleElum over the weekend.  It trots by, collar and all, at about 10 feet from me.  This billy had its tongue hanging out of its mouth and couldn't put it back in.  Black colored tongue, too.  Don't know if that's normal.  Weird>

[Caseyd]

I almost wonder if one of those translocated goats didn't walk past me at a trailhead outside CleElum over the weekend.  It trots by, collar and all, at about 10 feet from me.  This billy had its tongue hanging out of its mouth and couldn't put it back in.  Black colored tongue, too.  Don't know if that's normal.  Weird>

Berries 

[j_h_nimrod]

Goat=Invasive Species

Not sure if you are serious or not. I read the report by the NPS and found it well researched, but their conclusions were biased at best. There is good reason to believe goats were in the area historically and likely extirpated early in western colonization. I have hunted goats extensively in SE AK and know for a fact they can be very difficult to find, even at moderate populations. They are also relatively easy to hunt (with primitive means) by a competent hunter with a bit of gumption.  Native populations hunted goats successfully in many places and it is not beyond the realm of belief that they could have hunted an isolated population to extinction, this is borne out by the low number of tags currently offered by WDFW and the apparent lack of resiliency of goats under even light hunting pressures.

On Baranof Island they were finding DNA that was not from either of the populations that were transplanted to the island and it was theorized there had been an unknown refugia population at the time the non-native goats were brought in. There are a lot of flaws to the NPS study and it seemed to me that they “found” the answer they were looking for...

[Dan-o]

Goat=Invasive Species

Not sure if you are serious or not. I read the report by the NPS and found it well researched, but their conclusions were biased at best. There is good reason to believe goats were in the area historically and likely extirpated early in western colonization. I have hunted goats extensively in SE AK and know for a fact they can be very difficult to find, even at moderate populations. They are also relatively easy to hunt (with primitive means) by a competent hunter with a bit of gumption.  Native populations hunted goats successfully in many places and it is not beyond the realm of belief that they could have hunted an isolated population to extinction, this is borne out by the low number of tags currently offered by WDFW and the apparent lack of resiliency of goats under even light hunting pressures.

On Baranof Island they were finding DNA that was not from either of the populations that were transplanted to the island and it was theorized there had been an unknown refugia population at the time the non-native goats were brought in. There are a lot of flaws to the NPS study and it seemed to me that they “found” the answer they were looking for...

Interesting.

I've always heard they were nonnative, but IDK.....

[Pegasus]

Goat=Invasive Species

Not sure if you are serious or not. I read the report by the NPS and found it well researched, but their conclusions were biased at best. There is good reason to believe goats were in the area historically and likely extirpated early in western colonization. I have hunted goats extensively in SE AK and know for a fact they can be very difficult to find, even at moderate populations. They are also relatively easy to hunt (with primitive means) by a competent hunter with a bit of gumption.  Native populations hunted goats successfully in many places and it is not beyond the realm of belief that they could have hunted an isolated population to extinction, this is borne out by the low number of tags currently offered by WDFW and the apparent lack of resiliency of goats under even light hunting pressures.

On Baranof Island they were finding DNA that was not from either of the populations that were transplanted to the island and it was theorized there had been an unknown refugia population at the time the non-native goats were brought in. There are a lot of flaws to the NPS study and it seemed to me that they “found” the answer they were looking for...

Years ago I hunted an area overlooking I-90 when I was chasing elk with a bow that held a small population of goats. For a number of years I would encounter them and on many occasions I would be still hunting while within a group of them. It was those experiences that made me determine to never shoot a goat. They were just too easy to kill once located. Everyone is different about their own  fair chase interpretations but to me they seemed almost tame once they determined I was not a threat. Old Billie exhibited some aggression several times but was only protecting his mate and youngsters. I doubt any of the group survived over the years as there was a pretty good cat population up there and they seemed like easy pickings for the cats. Not sure that transplanting the goats into an area frequented by people  is a good idea. We are transplanting  goats into areas that will rapidly become new problem areas.

[Knocker of rocks]

Interesting.

I've always heard they were nonnative, but IDK.....

The conventional wisdom by the majority of very knowledgeable people is that goats are in fact an introduced species.   Some equally knowledgeable people have used primarily anthropological evidence to posit that they were native to the Olympics for much or almost all of pre-history.

Dr  Lyman is in the distinct minority, but he is obviously a sharp cookie

https://faculty.missouri.edu/~lymanr/cv.pdf

[Pegasus]

Interesting.

I've always heard they were nonnative, but IDK.....

The conventional wisdom by the majority of very knowledgeable people is that goats are in fact an introduced species.   Some equally knowledgeable people have used primarily anthropological evidence to posit that they were native to the Olympics for much or almost all of pre-history.

Dr  Lyman is in the distinct minority, but he is obviously a sharp cookie

https://faculty.missouri.edu/~lymanr/cv.pdf

I am all in for bringing back the mastodon, the wooley mammoth and the sabre-toothed cat also.

[j_h_nimrod]

We are not discussing an extinct animal, we are talking about a contemporary species that is doing poorly in almost all of its current historic (southern) range, except in the Olympics.  Now the NPS wants to exterminate (not my word, theirs and other news agencies) them from an area where they are having adverse effects on the hikers infesting (my word, not theirs) the Park trails. Even in the NPS study that discounts goats on the Peninsula, they cite numerous accounts in the 1700-1800’s of animals that are hard not to believe are goats.  If you think goats have no reason to be in the Park, then there is much more evidence to eradicate all wild (feral, wild, etc.) horses across the US. Wild horses are so revered that they have a congressional bill protecting them, regardless of the fact that there is very good proof they were only brought in by the Spaniards and are now a plague across much of the SW US and are costing tax payers millions annually.