Olympic National Park is recruiting skilled volunteers to assist with the lethal removal of non-native mountain goats from the park. Selected volunteers will be required to travel on foot up to 15 miles a day through park wilderness, much of which will be off trail in predominantly steep and extremely challenging terrain.
This program will occur from Sept. 9 - Oct. 17, 2020.
In order to participate, volunteers must apply in groups of 3-6 people, and participate in one of three scheduled removal sessions.
Participants must:
attend one day of training at the beginning of each designated removal session
pass a background check
meet requirements for physical fitness, orienteering, and experience recreating in extensive mountainous wilderness.
Groups may consist of field support personnel and expert marksmen; only those who pass a firearms proficiency test (which will be administered during each training) will be permitted to shoot goats in the park. Each group must have at least one person that passes the firearms proficiency test.
Volunteers must supply all their own required equipment and supplies, including suitable firearms and non-toxic ammunition.
Applications will be accepted until at least April 17. After that date, it will close as soon as 30 qualified groups apply, or on April 24 (whichever comes first).
For the past three years the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been a partner with Olympic National Park and many other organizations in this effort to return the ecosystem to a natural state. Thank you for considering participation in this important effort to remove nonnative mountain goats from the Olympic National Park.
Please visit nps.gov/olym/getinvolved/mountain-goat-management-removal.htm for more information.
