Oreamnos americanus
07/05/2009 Klahhane Switchback Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
06/27/2009 Sunrise Ridge Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
06/27/2009 Sunrise Ridge Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
07/08/2014 Hurricane Hill Area, Olympic National Park, Washington
08/16/2009 Mt. Ellinor Trail, Mount Skokomish Wilderness, Washington
08/16/2009 Mt. Ellinor Trail, Mount Skokomish Wilderness, Washington
06/23/2015 Hurricane Hill Area, Olympic National Park, Washington
07/05/2009 Klahhane Switchback Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
07/01/2013 Sunrise Ridge Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
06/27/2009 Sunrise Ridge Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington
A few Mountain Ggoats, Oreamnos americanus, were introduced to the Olympic Peninsula in the mid 1920’s. While native to the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades and the Coast Range, they never occurred naturally in the Olympics. With a dramatically increased population, they trample and wallow in high meadows and threaten endemic plants. They also prefer to travel along trails, the same ones tourists and hikers use, and confrontations can be dangerous.
In 2018, Olympic National Park released a management plan for Mountain Goats (Final Mountain Goat Management Plan).
“An Analysis of the Mountain Goat Issue in Olympic National Park,” Olympic Park Associates, 1995
Mountain Goats in Olympic National Park: Biology and Management of an Introduced Species
Mountain Goats are not closely related to domestic goats, and their genetic relationships to other members of the family Bovidae remains in some dispute.