Public Participation Invited in Development of Mountain Goat Management Plan

Date: July 21, 2014
Contact: Barb Maynes, 360-565-3005

The National Park Service is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Mountain Goat Management in Olympic National Park, announced Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum today.A Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Mountain Goat Management Plan appears in today's Federal Register.

"We are pleased to ask the public to help us develop a long-term plan for managing the population of exotic mountain goats in Olympic National Park," said Creachbaum."We have drafted some preliminary alternative concepts that we'd like the public to reflect and comment on during this initial scoping period.And of course, we are also interested in additional alternative concepts people may have."

The original need to manage the goat population was driving by ecological concerns related to the impact of goats on the park's natural resources, particularly sensitive vegetation communities. New concerns were raised in 2010 when a visitor was fatally gored by a mountain goat while hiking on a park trail. The current planning effort will result in a plan that provides for overall management of mountain goats and considers the non-native goats' effects on natural processes and habitats, as well as visitor safety.

More information, including the purpose and need for the plan, the plan's objectives and preliminary alternative concepts developed so far, can be found online at https://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/olymgoat.

Comments may also be submitted electronically at https://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/olymgoat, or in writing at one of the three open house workshops listed below.Comments may also be mailed to Superintendent, Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, WA 98362.Comments should be submitted no later than September 19, 2014.

Public Scoping Open Houses are planned for mid-August as follows:

Monday, August 11
Seattle Open House 5pm – 7pm
Seattle Public Library, Wright/Ketchum Room, Level 4, Room 2
1000 4^th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
206-386-4636

Tuesday, August 12
Olympia Open House 5pm – 7pm
Olympic National Forest Headquarters
Willaby-Klahowya-Coho Rooms
1835 Black Lake Blvd Southwest
Olympia, WA 98512
360-956-2303

Wednesday, August 13
Port Angeles Open House 5pm – 7pm
Port Angeles Public Library (North Olympic Library System)
2210 S. Peabody Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362
360-417-8500

For more information or to be added to the Olympic National Park Mountain Goat Management Plan mailing list, people should visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/olymgoat or call the park at 360-565-3004.