North Cascades Mountain Goats
JB: This is Earth and Sky, on the North Cascades mountain goats – with thick white coats, bearded chins and small but imposing black horns.
DB: These goats’ hooves are made for mountain-climbing. They’re often found foraging near cliffs, ready for a quick getaway into steep terrain where predators like cougars and bears can’t follow. Roads in high elevations opened up mountain goat habitat to hunters. Goat populations plummeted – and in 1995, a hunting ban was imposed. Now some populations have rebounded . . .
JB: But other populations aren’t doing as well. There appear to be many causes for the decline such as predation, disease, habitat loss and hunting. Wildlife researchers are now suggesting that human disturbance is a major problem for the goats. Mountain goats feed intensively in summer, fattening up for winter. But as recreational use of mountain goat country increases, the presence of people drives the skittish goats away from prime feeding areas, preventing them from gaining enough weight to survive the winter.
DB; So if you see a mountain goat while visiting the Cascades, please . . .keep your distance. For more on the North Cascades mountain goat, come to today’s show at our web site at earthsky.com. Special thanks today to the U.S. Forest Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
Thanks to:
Donald Gay
Wildlife Biologist
Mt. Baker Ranger District
Sedro-Woolley, WA
Mike Davison
Washington Fish and Wildlife
Links:
North Cascades Mountain Goats (National Park Service)
Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus) Population Biology (National Park Service)
Oreamnos americanus – Species account from the Univ. of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Mount Rainier National Park Mountain Goat Study (National Park Service)
Review of Scientific Material Relevant to the Occurence, Ecosystem Role, and Tested Management Options for Mountain Goats in Olympic National Park – From the Conservation Biology Institute
Additional Teacher Resources
National Park Service, North Cascade National Forest: North Cascades Mountain Goat
A report by the National Park Service explaining the life history, habitat, behavioral patterns and conservation issues in concern to the North Cascade Mountain Goat.
