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Mountain Goat Documents

Spearhead Mountain Goat winter range survey report

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2019 Spearhead Mountain Goat winter range survey report
A report funded by the Park Enhancement Fund.

Click on the following link to view the entire report:  Spearhead Mountain Goat Winter Range survey report-2019-03-26

Mountain Goat Management

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MountainGoat 800

Management Plan for the Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) in British Columbia

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MountainGoatManagementPlan_Final_28May2010.pdf

Mountain Goat Management Team. 2010. Management Plan for the Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) in British Columbia. Prepared for the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Victoria, BC. 87 pp. 

  

Monitoring the Effectiveness of Mountain Goat Habitat Management

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MonitoringMountainGoatHabitatManagement.pdfMonitoring the Effectiveness of Mountain Goat Habitat Management, Steven F. Wilson, March 2005 (257 KB)

Steven F. Wilson, Ph.D., R.P.Bio., Ecologic Research, March 2005. Prepared for BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. 17 pp.

Selected quotes

Page 4

Wildlife Habitat Features are intended to protect point or linear resources such as mineral licks and traditional trails. Policy related to Wildlife Habitat Features has not been fully developed [as of March 2005].

Important habitat for mountain goats exists in protected areas. These areas are not considered in this report because they are not protected under FRPA [Forest and Range Practices Act]; however, ... distribution and abundance of habitat managed for mountain goats should include an inventory of mountain goat habitat in protected areas.

 Page 5

aircraft (particularly helicopters) have the potential to displace mountain goats from preferred habitats; in particular, winter ranges, escape terrain and natal areas ... Fixed-wing and ground-based disturbances are less disruptive. Because mountain goats travel long distances along traditional trails to access low-elevation mineral licks, industrial activity near trails and licks has the potential to disturb and displace goats from critical habitat features.

Page 10

Evidence of sustained use by mountain goats [is established by observation of] pellet groups or direct observations of animals using trails and mineral licks.

2020 Commentary

Of human-induced stressors, what is not mentioned as a major stressor is recreational hiking and skiing trails. By far the greatest impact comes from helicopters, industrial activity such as logging, road building, blasting, hunting, fixed wing aircraft, habitat destruction, motorized use such as snowmobiles.

 

Mountain Goat Research

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What does the BC Government's own research say about Mountain Goats?

The following is a link to their own Management Plan for Mountain Goats in British Columbia.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/recovery/management_plans/MtGoat_MP_Final_28May2010.pdf

What does this document have to say about BC Park's management of Mountain Goats in Garibaldi Park and the impacts of both hikers and industry?
 
See Page 30,
 
"The direct impact of many outdoor recreation pursuits on mountain ungulates is poorly quantified. Presumably mountain, rock, and ice climbing would place humans closest to mountain goat habitat. Simulated non-mechanized recreational impacts had a negligible effect on mountain goat activities in Colorado (Thompson 1980) and disturbance due to human foot traffic appears to be generally minor, but may be more important at some times of the year (e.g., calving; Shively et al. 2005)."
 
The biggest impacts are industrial disturbances, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and hunting.
 
Regarding the claim of the existence of mineral licks along the Darling Lake Trail by the Ministry of Forest and Lands and BC Parks:
 
See page 12, 
 
"Prevalence of mineral lick use by coastal animals may be less than interior populations, possibly due to different geology, as there are no mineral licks currently known on the coast (D. Reynolds, pers. comm. 2008)."

Conclusion
 
B.C. Parks and the Ministry of Forests and Lands fully endorses industrial distubances, helicopters and ski resort development in Mountain Goat Winter Ungulate Range in Garibaldi Park (reference Garibaldi at Squamish Enironmental Assessment, and Heli-Ski Permit Endorsement in the Spearhead Range), which their own scientists agree are considered the most damaging and disturbing activities to Mountain Goats.  The assertion by BC Parks that the heritage Darling Lake Trail, which is intended for hikers, climbers and backcountry skiers, is a major threat to Mountain Goats is not backed up by their own science. Pedestrian, non-motorized users are no threat. As Darling Ridge is in a park, no hunting is allowed.  The position of BC Parks is also highly hypocritical, especially considering that the Darling Lake Trail does not even enter Mountain Goat Winter Ungulate Range.  The BC Parks position is all the more galling in light of the recent environmental approval of the Garibaldi at Squamish Proposal which blatantly violates Mountain Goat Winter Ungulate Range.  Apparantly bulldozers, roads, ski lifts, helicopters and avalanche control using explosives are acceptable activities in a Mountain Goat Winter Range, but a hiking trail no closer than 300 meters to one is unacceptable.  
 
Furthermore, the claim of the existence of Mountain Goat Mineral Licks along Darling Ridge by the Ministry of Forest and Lands and BC Parks has yet to be established.  Their own research demonstrates that the likelihood of the existence of such mineral licks is remote at best, considering that no such discovery has been made in the entire Coast Mountain Range to date. Remember that Compliance and Enforcement officers only declared the existence of mineral licks on the ridge in a last ditch effort to bolster the flimsy case for their stop work order. Requests by GaribaldiPark2020.com to the Ministry of Forests and Lands office in Squamish for the GPS location of these mineral licks (for purposes of independent verification) to date have have been outright refused and rejected.  The question to be asked, is why the refusal?  Until such time as the mineral licks can be independently verified, it is our position that the mineral licks do not exist.

Mountain Goat Facts from B.C. North

Mountain Goat Fact Site from B.C. North