Conservation Blog

2016 Willard Peak, UT Survey RecapBy :: Nathan Long Friday June 10th marked the second annual survey of the Willard peak mountain goat herd. We met at the local DWR office to cover specifics and finalize the game plan. Snow was going to be present at this year’s survey after last year’s scorcher. The group of volunteers headed for Inspiration Point armed with 4-wheel drive and shovels. A couple of lingering drifts were cleared to get us to a turn off with enough room for all the trucks. Several deep snowdrifts meant that the hike in was going to be...

2016 Black Hills Conservation Project Recap Our third annual trip to the Black Hills was another big win for mountain goat conservation in South Dakota. With over thirty volunteers participating over the course of the weekend, we once again blanketed the Black Hills with RMGA volunteers armed with optics and data sheets. The The final numbers were as follows: 58 individual goats with 10 mature billies, 26 nannies, 8 kids, 1 yearling billy, 5 yearling nannies, and 8 unknown. Last fall was the first time in nine years that South Dakota has implemented a mountain goat hunting season with two...

Our second annual “Kid Goat Photo Contest” was another big success! Late May brought photo submissions from all over the continent. The competition was fierce and many capable conservationists and photographers alike hit the mountains in search of the fresh kid goats. We hope you enjoy these newborns as much as we do! The photo above was the first submission that arrived on May 23 from Stewart, British Columbia, submitted by Gavin Olesiuk and Josh Veenstra. Well done, gentleman! You are our first place winners. Idaho was next on the board with a kid goat found on May 27th by...