One area’s natural wonder is another’s invasive specie . . .
The mountain goats at Olympic National Park in Washington have worn out their their welcome and park officials are moving ahead with plans to get rid of them.
On Monday the National Park Service released a mountain goat management plan, laying out three methods of dealing with the population, which park officials say not only is damaging the environment but is dangerous to people.
One method is killing the animals with shotguns or high-powered rifles. The other is relocating them. And the last option is a combination of the two.
Chris Peterson has a very interesting article in this week’s Hungry Horse News about the ongoing study of Glacier Park’s mountain goats. It seems humans are an excellent source of salt . . .
Hike the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail in Glacier National Park during the summer and you’re almost assured to see a mountain goat.
The region is excellent goat habitat, notes University of Montana biologist and researcher Wesley Sarmento. But the goats are also drawn there for another big reason: Salt.
Sarmento currently has 22 goats fitted with radio collars from the Logan Pass area as part of a three-year-study of the iconic creatures.
The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a brown-bag luncheon presentation by graduate student, Wesley Sarmento. The free presentation, “Mass Visitation and Mountain Goats: Ecology and Management of an Alpine Icon,” is Wednesday, August 12, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the park’s community building in West Glacier.
Wildlife habituation at Logan Pass is a priority concern in the new Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan. Sarmento will talk about his research project tracking habituated goats to understand how people influence mountain goat behavior and ecology.
Sarmento has studied wildlife professionally for over seven years and is currently a Master’s student at the University of Montana. As a National Geographic “Young Explorer” he conducted conservation research of the world’s largest wild sheep in Mongolia. His has also conducted wildlife research in Northern Alaska and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Montana FWP found fewer mountain goats in the Bitterrroots this winter than in previous surveys . . .
A couple of times in February and once in March, Rebecca Mowry had a chance to see the Bitterroot Mountains in a way only a handful before her have ever experienced.
From the inside of a helicopter, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist explored 22 canyons from Trapper Peak to Carlton Ridge while searching for signs of mountain goats.
“It’s a fun survey to do,” Mowry said. “You get to see a lot of beautiful country, but it’s treacherous too. You’re right next to the cliffs, with no good places to land if something goes wrong.”
The Glacier Park mountain goat study begun last year is starting to show some results . . .
As mountain goat research prepares to continue this summer in Glacier National Park, preliminary data suggests goats that are habituated to humans display different herding behavior, and use habitat differently, than wild goats.
The three-year research study began late last summer. Glacier officials call it a critical component of the ongoing Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor management planning effort.
Glacier National Park has begun a three-year study of the interactions between mountain goats and people in the Logan Pass area . . .
Glacier National Park, in partnership with the University of Montana, has begun a three-year research study on how mountain goats are affected by roads, people and trails in the Logan Pass area. Currently, six mountain goats have been successfully collared by National Park Service staff, University of Montana researchers, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks personnel with GPS or VHF radio devices. Collaring efforts will continue through the fall as weather permits. It is anticipated approximately 20-25 goats will be collared of the estimated 1,500 goats in the park.
Some areas of Glacier Park are getting awfully crowded in the summer and park personnel are trying to figure out what to do about it. One part of this process is a study of the mountain goats in the Logan Pass area . . .
Glacier National Park hopes to radio-collar about 20 mountain goats at Logan Pass this year as part of a research project designed to study the iconic animal’s interaction with people…
The Logan Pass goat study is part of a broader look at the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor and how best to manage it. Beginning this month, the Park will begin an intensive round of public meetings across Northwest Montana to gauge public opinion on how best to manage the alpine highway and the crowds of visitors it draws…
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks wants to reintroduce mountain goats to the Whitefish Range where they were pretty much hunted out by the 1960s. The plan is to capture an initial population of about 15 goats from a large herd in the Crazy Mountains near Big Timber and release them near Stryker Mountain on the west side of the Whitefish Divide. The project is scheduled to start this January.
Check out the draft environmental assessment for project-specific details. If you want to put your oar in, the project is open for public comment through Wednesday, Nov. 3.
