Mountain goat relocation continues

PORT ANGELES — The fourth and final round of translocating mountain goats from the Olympics to the North Cascades began Monday and will last two weeks.

Mountain goats will be released at 12 sites this round: nine in the Darrington, Preacher Mountain, Mount Loop Highway and Snoqualmie Pass areas of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; and three in the Chikamin Ridge, Box Canyon and Tower Mountain areas of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

It’s a partnership between the National Park Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Forest Service to remove the non-native goats from the Olympic Mountains, where they were introduced in the 1920s, and reestablish populations in the Cascades. Many Native American tribes have also given their support or helped with operations.

Since September 2018, 275 mountain goats have been translocated, according to a joint news release from the agencies.

Another 16 were transferred to zoos, and 35 were killed or died during capture or transport.

When the project started, the goat population was estimated at 725, according to the release. The removal plan followed a public review process that began in 2014.

“The mountain goat relocations not only augment resident populations, increasing population viability, but tracking the collared goats assists with our understanding of goats’ use of the habitat within the North Cascades,” said Phyllis Reed, USFS wildlife biologist.

Leading Edge Aviation, a company specializing in the capture and transport of wild animals, has a contract for the project, the release said. A helicopter crew uses darts and net guns to capture mountain goats and transport them in slings to staging areas for release.