{"id":69203,"date":"2019-07-15T13:25:17","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T20:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=69203"},"modified":"2019-07-17T11:52:03","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:52:03","slug":"second-phase-of-mountain-goat-removal-project-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/second-phase-of-mountain-goat-removal-project-underway","title":{"rendered":"Second Phase of Mountain Goat Removal Project Underway"},"content":{"rendered":"

The second phase of a plan to remove all the mountain goats from the Olympic Peninsula begins this month. <\/span>The operation will result in two temporary closures that will impact Olympic National Park<\/span><\/a> and Olympic National Forest: the first from July 8\u201319 and the second Aug. 19\u201330.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In September of last year, Washington state and federal agencies, with the support of local tribes, began to execute a plan addressing a decades-long goal to move the mountain goats\u2014which had grown <\/span>to an overall population of 725<\/span><\/a>\u2014from the Olympic Peninsula to their native habitat in the North Cascades. The goats, non-native to the peninsula, were having a negative impact on the environment: <\/span>an invasive species trampling vegetation, damaging resources and competing with other native animals, like the marmot, for food. Additionally, some goats have become habituated to people.<\/span> Mountain goats were originally introduced to the peninsula in the 1920s to serve hunting interests,<\/span><\/a> and the population has increased ever since. In the Cascades, however, the goat population has diminished as a result of overhunting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need goats in the Cascades. We don\u2019t need them in the Olympics,\u201d says Rob Smith, Northwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. \u201cIt\u2019s essentially two restoration projects in one. And while it\u2019s a disruption in the short term, it\u2019s the right thing to do in the long term.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The relocation is a joint effort between the National Park Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Forest Service, and is part of a three-to-five-year plan that consists of two 12-day capture periods per season. The affected areas are in the northern part of Olympic National Park, where periodic trail and camping closures will restrict visitor access to certain places, including Hurricane Ridge, Lake of the Angels, the Elwha Valley, and Seven Lakes Basin. The August closure will impact areas around Mount Ellinor. Visitors should seek out specific <\/span>information about closures <\/span><\/a>before heading to the peninsula.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mountain

The goats are fitted with an eye mask and loaded into a specially made sling, then flown to refrigerated trucks headed for the North Cascades. (Photo Courtesy: National Park Service)<\/p><\/div>\n

During the capture windows the mountain goats embark on a multistep journey to their new home: crews from Leading Edge Aviation fire a net gun (with a weighted net) or a dart gun (with an opioid) from a helicopter, then the goats are loaded into a specially made sling and fitted with an eye mask before being flown to eastbound refrigerated trucks. Finally, the goats take another helicopter flight into the North Cascades backcountry, where conditions are right: high elevations that have current goat populations or have had them in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One week into phase two, 23 goats have been removed from the Olympics, where more than 95 percent of the goat population lives in \u201cremote, rugged terrain that is extremely steep and far away from roads and trails,\u201d <\/span>according to the Park Service<\/span><\/a>. To capture and transport the goats, \u201cthere is simply no other way\u201d than by using helicopters. Eventually, goats that can\u2019t be captured in this way will be shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo maximize success, goats are then airlifted directly to alpine habitats that have been selected for appropriate characteristics. These areas are generally not accessible by road,\u201d says Olympic National Park spokeswoman Penny Wagner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last fall, the National Park Service says 115 mountain goats were captured in the Olympics, but <\/span>some goats died during capture or transport, and orphaned kids were taken to local zoos.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0One hundred were actually transferred to the Cascades, and 98 were released (two died in transit). New for this year is a change in opioid, from Carfentanil to Thiafentanil, <\/span>which officials anticipate will reduce death during capture<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

A row of crates used to safely release the goats to their new home in the North Cascades. (Photo Courtesy: National Park Service)<\/p><\/div>\n

An estimated 65 to 70 percent of the goats survived the winter, according to a report by Rich Harris, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist leading the agency\u2019s relocation effort. Harris\u2019 report showed that the goats\u2014most were fitted with GPS collars before being transferred\u2014moved around a fair bit before they \u201chunkered down for the winter\u201d but are now moving up into the alpine. Harris <\/span>told The Seattle Times<\/span><\/a> that the rate is \u201cwithin the bounds\u201d he expected, adding that a rough February and a winter of heavy snow can make it difficult for animals to find food. According to Wagner, the project is going as planned and administrators are pleased with the relocation efforts thus far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the next two months, the Department of Fish and Wildlife\u00a0<\/span>plans to release the goats<\/span><\/a> captured in this second phase at six different alpine sites in the North Cascades: the <\/span>Chikamin <\/span>area, Preacher Mountain, Hardscrabble Ridge, two spots near mountain peaks south of Darrington, and near Mount Index.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The project will continue for seasons to come, and the next scheduled closures will likely take place in the summer of 2020<\/span>. <\/b>Visitors to the park should take note of these closures, adjust their plans accordingly, and be willing to put up with some helicopter noise if they\u2019re in the vicinity.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Wagner, success for the program is twofold: \u201cTo translocate as many mountain goats from the Olympic Peninsula to the Cascades as possible, which is estimated to be 325\u2013375\u201d total goats transported for the entirety of the project. \u201cAnd then ultimately …\u00a0<\/span>to reach a zero population level of mountain goats in the park and adjacent Olympic National Forest lands.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tips for mountain goat encounters\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n

In general, mountain goats tend to keep their distance, but \u201cgoats approach people because we\u2019re salty,\u201d says Smith. \u201cThere are very few natural salt sources in the Olympics. There are many, many more natural salt licks in the Cascades, which would make them less inclined to approach humans.\u201d That said, here are some tips from the park service and Forest Service for what to do if you encounter a mountain goat.<\/span><\/p>\n