Application Period Closed: Thank you for your interest in the mountain goat ground removal volunteer program at Olympic National Park. The response to the call for volunteers closed April 17. Over 1,200 groups applied. The application was not a quick and easy endeavor to complete, and we are grateful for the time and effort that groups put into completing the application. It took over a month to make selections due to the time needed to carefully pull together all of the emails into group application packets and evaluate each one.
The pool of applicants was very impressive, and we regret that we can accept so few. We evaluated all applications and pulled out those that were ranked as most highly qualified. From that pool, we then did a random draw of 40 applications and those were evaluated by a team of National Park Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff. From that pool, 21 groups were selected.
We tried to notify all groups whether they were chosen or not, but could not reach everyone. If you have not received a notification, unfortunately, you were not selected.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank you for your interest in volunteering to assist with removing exotic mountain goats from Olympic National Park. This will be a challenging experience, and very few people will be suited for it. Before you apply, please read all the information on this page and the linked supporting documents to be sure this is a good fit for you.
Volunteers MUST apply in a group of 3 to 6 individuals. Please have complete information on all members of your group before you submit your application.
- We cannot accept volunteers who want to participate in larger or smaller groups. If you are accepted, and members of your group later drop out and your group size decreases below 3, you will not be able to participate.
- Volunteers will be required to supply their own firearm and non-lead ammunition, following guidelines from a list of approved supplies.
Volunteer groups will be assigned to one of three removal sessions. Session dates are September 9-19, September 22-October 2, and October 5-16. Each session starts with a mandatory training day, followed by up to 10 days in the field. You may not need to participate all 10 days. However, you may not participate past the end date of your session.
Volunteers will be asked to indicate which dates they are available, and preferences for sessions if they are available for more than one. Weather conditions may cause the cancellation of a session due to safety considerations.
Volunteers will be assigned to one of 15 goat removal areas. All areas are difficult to access, and most are extremely challenging. Please review the area maps and descriptions at the bottom of this page and choose which areas you prefer and which areas you do not want to visit.
In order to safely and successfully participate in this program, volunteers must have a high level of physical fitness; experience recreating and navigating off trail in extensive mountainous wilderness; experience harvesting mountain goats, sheep, or other ungulates; and marksmanship. Volunteers will be required to demonstrate their suitability for this program.
Volunteers will be asked to record data on all goats encountered and shot, and to collect biological samples from all goats that can be safely accessed (hair, tooth, tissue sample, skull cap including horns). Using their discretion, volunteers will be allowed to remove and retain meat and other materials. They will be asked to dispose of remaining materials following NPS guidelines.
For a more complete description of the program requirements, please review:
If, after reviewing the above materials, you would still like to apply, please have all members of your group:
- Complete this application
- Sign the health, firearms and background check form
Selection Process:
Update: We will accept applications until the original cut-off date of April 17 because enough qualified groups have submitted applications. Emails must arrive by 5:00 pm PDT on April 17 and mail in applications must be postmarked by April 17 to be considered. Group applications will be evaluated using objective ranking criteria. We will select a maximum of 18 highly qualified groups (6 groups will be selected for each session). If more than 18 highly qualified groups apply, we will use a lottery system to randomly select which groups will participate. Groups that are selected for further consideration will be notified by June 1, 2020 and be required to submit forms signed by a physician by June 30.
We cannot accept incomplete applications. Please review your packet before you submit it.
If you have any questions, please email Dr. Patti Happe, Wildlife Branch Chief at Olympic National Park: patti_happe@nps.gov.
Applications can be emailed to patti_happe@nps.gov or sent to:
Olympic National Park
Attn: Patti Happe
600 E Park Ave
Port Angeles, WA 98362
