OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Federal officials have signed paperwork outlining the airlift of more mountain goats out of Olympic National Park and relocation of them to wilderness areas in the North Cascades next summer.
The U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service announced the decision on Wednesday after the signing of a Record of Decision.
Mountain goat management activities completed in September did not require Forest Service authorization because the captures took place in Olympic National Park and relocation of goats by the state Department of Fish & Wildlife took place outside wilderness areas within National Forest System lands.
In this week’s decision, the parties agreed on helicopter landings, temporary fencing, salt blocks and other actions needed to move the goats next summer.
Crews removed 115 goats from the park in September, releasing 98 at five sites in the North Cascades. Eleven goats died during the process and six goat kids were sent to the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.
Better homes
The goat relocation is part of an effort to remove them from non-native areas and build up populations elsewhere.
“Mountain goat relocation will give these animals the opportunity to thrive in their habitat of the Northern Cascades,” said Tracy O’Toole, Forest Service spokeswoman.
The park estimates that there are about 725 mountain goats in the park. Officials anticipate being able to remove only half of them. The rest will be killed.
The signed record of decision outlines all authorized activities.
The document is at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=49816.
Cooperative project
The Forest Supervisors of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, Olympic and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests signed the Record of Decision.
The National Park Service is the lead agency for the plan and the state Department of Fish & Wildlife and National Forest Service are cooperating agencies.
The Forest Service is responsible for the management of most mountain goat habitat outside of the park on both the Olympic Peninsula and within the North Cascades.
For the park and Fish & Wildlife to engage in mountain goat management related activities within wilderness or restricted areas of the National Forest System lands, both agencies were required to obtain authorization from the Forest Service.
September’s aerial capture operations were conducted through a contract with a private company, Leading Edge Aviation, which specializes in the capture of wild animals.
That contract was for a maximum of $189,479, with the final amount depending on how many hours were flown.
The helicopter crew used tranquilizer darts and net guns to capture mountain goats and transported them in specially made slings to the staging area on Hurricane Hill Road.
Capture and relocation may continue in 2020 depending on what happens in 2019.
State Fish & Wildlife released mountain goats at five sites in the Cascades with the help of tribal and university biologists, and of Hi-Line Aviation of Darrington.
Two of the release areas were near mountain peaks south of the town of Darrington, on the Darrington District of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The others sites were located northwest of Kachess Lake (just south of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness) in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Tower Peak in the Methow area of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and the headwaters of the Cedar River Drainage, which is land owned by Seattle Public Utilities.
