Goat Man

Yes, thanks, that's right, we are interested in the location of the sample. GPS coordinates would be best, but pointing to the general area on a topo map would work too. Our purpose is not to justify eradication of the non-native Olympic population (the park service gave up on that 20 years ago). We're trying to understand why the Cascade population is declining and devise ways to reverse the trend.

You're right, they are difficult to tell apart. Any scat sample found in cliffy terrain would be either mountain goat or possibly big horn sheep, in the few areas where they are found. Deer do visit alpine areas in the summer months, so samples found away from steep terrain could be more difficult to ID. Mountain goat tracks are easily discernable from other ungulates, so if you find goat tracks around the scat, that would help with identification too.

Thanks Blake. Tana and I are part of the same project, but thanks for the suggestion.

Fellow Cascade climbers, I'm a graduate student at Western Washington University and I'm studying the genetic structure of mountain goat populations in the Cascade range. I'm interested in understanding the landscape factors that restrict gene flow between populations, and I'm also studying the genetic impacts of Olympic range goats relocated to the Cascades in the 1980's. This analysis will assist wildlife management agencies in managing their recovery (mountain goats have declined by 70% since 1960 and are continuing to decline in many places). I'm collecting genetic samples in the form of goat scat (poop) this summer from throughout both the Olympic and Cascade ranges, and I'm asking the climbing community to assist me in collecting samples. The more we collect, the greater the chances this study will reveal useful information that could help in the conservation of this species. Goat scat looks like most other ungulate scat... little pellets that are either in a clump or break apart into a pile. The fresher the better (old scat is difficult to isolate DNA from). If you find mountain goat scat, and are willing to help, please place 4-5 pellets per sample in a container or zip lock bag, put them in the freezer when you get home, and contact me by email at wherelizardsdare@yahoo.com. If anyone is interested in an internship this summer, I have a couple more positions available and have funding to pay mileage and per diem for your sample collection trips. Thank you all for any help with this project you can spare, and enjoy your summer in the mountains. Cheers, Andrew