Roughly one-third of the nonnative mountain goats in Grand Teton National Park were killed by aerial gunners before Interior Secretary ordered a halt to the operation/NPS file
Airborne sharpshooters killed roughly one-third of the estimated 100 nonnative mountain goats in Grand Teton National Park before Interior Secretary David Bernhardt called off the hunt after Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon complained that ground-based volunteer shooters weren't used.
Gordon, who fired off a stern letter to Grand Teton acting Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail about the aerial culling operation on Friday, called Bernhardt later in the evening. Bernhardt in turn ordered Noojibail to halt the operation.
On Tuesday the acting superintendent met with Gordon to discuss how best to protect the native Teton Range bighorn sheep herd from going extinct.
"It was a productive meeting and we greatly appreciate the governor’s time and interest," a Grand Teton release said Tuesday evening. "We value and respect the cooperation and perspective of our state partners and we are continuing conversations with them as the National Park Service implements actions to achieve our mutual goal of protecting the native Teton Range bighorn sheep herd from going extinct."
The culling operation stemmed from concern that mountain goats could transmit disease to the native bighorn sheep and compete for forage. According to park records, "It took roughly 40 years from (mountain goats') introduction in Idaho for mountain goats to establish a breeding population in the park."
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission passed a resolution last month condemning the use of aerial gunning to remove mountain goats from the Targhee herd and urged Grand Teton to use skilled volunteers to kill the mountain goats. In a letter dated Jan. 28, 2019, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department formally recommended the park use skilled volunteers for mountain goat removal. Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik made a third request to stop the plan on Friday, citing public disapproval.
However, the manner of removing the mountain goat population has been discussed between the state and the Park Service for more than a year, going back to the fall of 2018 when state officials were satisfied with the aerial culling, the Traveler has learned. Using volunteers to handle the task also was considered, and rejected, in the park's environmental assessment of the issue.
Because mountain goats are dispersed in backcountry areas, distant from road access, and seldom seen from park trails, there is little likelihood of successful expeditious control by volunteers on the ground. Thus, there would be little benefit in developing and managing a short-term ground-based skilled volunteer program to remove mountain goats. This alternative was dismissed because it is duplicative when compared to using skilled park staff and contractors to more effectively and efficiently remove the remaining mountain goats from the Teton Range.
The environmental assessment also noted that "If lethal management is effective, it could be 5−30 years before goats disperse to the Teton Range again."
In Tuesday's release park staff said the aerial operation last Friday "was effective towards meeting the objective of removing nonnative mountain goats in the park. Thirty-six of the approximately 100 mountain goats were removed. No additional aerial operations are planned."
Despite the conclusions of the environmental assessment, the release added that the park "is continuing to develop a skilled volunteer culling program that could be implemented as early as this fall. This culling program will utilize trained volunteers to remove non-native mountain goats via ground-based methods."
The release also noted the key differences between a culling program in a national park and traditional recreational hunting:
o Culling in a national park is done exclusively for conservation and stewardship purposes, while hunting is primarily for recreation or procuring food.
o Culling in a national park is conducted under controlled circumstances with the supervision of National Park Service personnel, while hunting is performed at the hunter’s discretion, subject to applicable licensing and laws.
o Volunteers may not keep any trophy when participating in a culling program in a national park. The meat may be distributed generally to volunteers, food banks, etc., after careful screening for public health considerations.
o Culling in a national park does not generate revenue and does not include fair chase.
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Comments
The Mountain Goats are well established outside the park boundaries and will be there for the forseeable future, the mountain goats will repopulate the loss from the gunning in a few years and even if completely annhilated - they would emigrate back into the park, presumbably they did so seeking better terrain, probably from years of long term drought at lower elevations at other locations. They are a native species in the Lemhi and Beaverhead Mountains of South East Idaho - not far from Grand Teton National Park which was there most southern native terrain in the world, the Snake River Plain Desert probably stopped any further immigration further south. But they are there now because their were introduced to the Palisades area of Idaho down stream along the Snake River from Grand Teton National Park. I think the goats should be left to live wild and free and it is very doubtful there are interferring with Mountain Sheep which have been declining long before the Mountain Goats arrive. I find the aerial gunning deplorable, actually a horrific crime and will always be opposed to it. They are magnificent wild animals and will continue to repopulate Grand Teton National Park - in order to stop it completely the National Park would have to also annhilate the Mountain Goat populations nearby outside the National Park Boundaries - and this they will never be given the okay to do. Let them live free.
Sickened by this report.
If it has to be done, at least put out permits to the public. Many hunters would love to have a goat permit, it won't seem like a slaughter.
Seems like either the commenters do not understand the conflict between nonnative goats and the native Bighorn Sheep and the conservation issues involved or they did not read the article.
I was sickened when I learned that park officials had taken action opposing the recommendations of multiple wildlife professionals, choosing to simply kill the goats and leave them to rot over conducting a highly controlled hunt for fear that doing so would set a "precedent" of hunting in the park, instead of allowing invested, qualified, and highly enthusiastic hunters an opportunity to partake in a wonderful experience that is all too rare these days. For them to take their well earned trophy (yes, it is a trophy that reminds them of all their memories of the hunt, their love for the animal and the overwhelmingly beautiful wild places it inhabits, and their appreciation for the meat, long after the meat is consumed) and a supply of superb wild meat home to share with their loved ones and to dream of future hunts.
This decision was completely illogical and nonsensical in multiple ways. Just because national parks were established to preserve the historical and natural state of the habitat and the contained therein, and because hunting has only been allowed for the "established elk reduction" in the past, does not mean that it is somehow unethical to allow a highly regulated hunt when such is clearly the best all-around option for reducing the population and responsibly stewarding the resource.
I realize that even if an animal is left to rot, it is not wasted, in the ecological sense of the word. The carcass will provide food for numerous types of carnivores, decomposers, bacteria, et cetera. Granted, the ecological perspective is a huge part of the picture in conservation issues. However, it is very beneficial--essential, really--to consider public perception, funding, public/hunter engagement, and many other factors to ensure the maximum benefit to the public and to the wildlife and its habitat. For without public support, resources to carry out conservation efforts will evaporate, and the audience for which those efforts are intended to provide enjoyment will no longer be engaged. This is why it is crucial to consider all the salient factors when making important conservation decisions.
I understand that this, as are most conservation issues, is a complicated issue. However, that is no excuse to disregard important parts of the issue for the sake of preserving the established tradition. This is especially true when doing so is detrimental to the public perception of lethal management practices--and aerial gunning without recovering the meat certainly is. Let responsible hunters take part in this. Require that they recover at least some of the meat. And seriously--the stipulation that "Volunteers may not keep any trophy when participating in a culling program in a national park. The meat may be distributed generally to volunteers, food banks, etc., after careful screening for public health considerations." is pretty silly. If the horns, skull, teeth, cape, or some specific part of the meat is necessary for testing by biologists, of course they should have access to those parts of the carcass. But attempting to remove any association between the park and hunting by disallowing the deserving hunters to keep "any trophy" or the meat from the specific goat they took is downright stupid, and rightly reduces the satisfaction and enjoyment of volunteering. It might even start to feel slightly like duty to some volunteers. Not that being able to take the trophy or meat home is the point of the hunt, but it is a contributing factor that would increase support from hunters and the general public alike.
As an ending note, the park could also charge a small fee just to cover the costs of the hunt. Hunters would be glad to pay, and it would provide a bit more funding to make the operation more feasible.