Yellowstone Notebook
Grand Teton Park Continues Efforts to Protect Bighorn Sheep - NPS
News Release
Grand Teton Park Continues Efforts to Protect Bighorn Sheep
Qualified volunteers from 2020 invited to cull non-native mountain goats this
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Contact: Denise Germann, 307-739-3393
Contact: CJ Adams, 307-739-3431
MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park is continuing a multi-year program
to eradicate non-native mountain goats as part of a management plan
aimed to conserve a native and vulnerable population of Rocky Mountain
bighorn sheep in the Teton Range. The program includes a qualified
volunteer culling program this fall, September 22-October 25, to remove
non-native mountain goats from the park.
The use of qualified volunteers is a tool identified in the National
Park Service’s 2019 Mountain Goat Management Plan. There is widespread
interest among local, state, and national stakeholders in conserving the
Teton Range bighorn sheep herd. The National Park Service is working on
this project in cooperation with federal and state partners
including the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and with guidance
identified in the 2019 John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,
and Recreation Act.
A park culling program took place in the fall of 2020 with 108 qualified
volunteers successfully and safely removing 43 non-native mountain
goats. It is estimated that approximately 50 goats remain in the park.
In the interest of safety and efficiency, the park is only drawing on
qualified volunteers who were trained and participated in the program
last year. There are significantly fewer mountain goats in the park and
removal will be exceedingly more difficult. The park will not be
accepting new applicants for the volunteer program.
Last year’s participants must once again undergo a background check,
and may not have active warrants, past wildlife violations, or
violations associated with Grand Teton National Park. Volunteers
identified as shooters must successfully pass a mandatory firearm
proficiency evaluation. All volunteers are United States citizens and at
least 18 years of age.
The Teton Range is home to a small herd of native bighorn sheep that is
currently estimated to have at least 125 animals. As one of the smaller
and most isolated herds in Wyoming, that has never been extirpated or
augmented, it is of high conservation value to the park, adjacent land
and wildlife managers, and visitors. The National Park Service has a
responsibility to protect native species and reduce the potential for
local extinction of a native species within the park.
Mountain goats are not native to Grand Teton National Park. Mountain
goats were introduced into the Snake River Range in Idaho and over the
years, their population expanded and reached the Teton Range. Mountain
goats can carry bacterial diseases that are lethal to bighorn sheep. The
Teton Range bighorn sheep population has been relatively isolated and
is therefore likely ‘naïve’ to these diseases.
Without immediate intervention, the mountain goat population is expected
to grow and could contribute to the potential extirpation of the native
bighorn sheep.
There are key differences between a culling program in a national park and traditional recreational hunting.
- Culling in a national park is done exclusively for conservation and stewardship purposes, while hunting is primarily for recreation or procuring food.
- 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.
- Volunteers may not keep a trophy when participating in a culling program in a national park. The meat may be donated or distributed to Indian Tribes, qualified volunteers, food banks, and other organizations that work to address hunger, in accordance with applicable health guidelines.
- Culling in a national park does not generate revenue and does not include fair chase.