Logan Pass goat habits unveiled
A study of mountain goats at Glacier National Park’s Logan Pass is beginning to reveal some preliminary data on the habits of the iconic creatures, just a few months into the study.
Late last summer, National Park Service biologists assisted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks captured and radio-collared six mountain goats at the pass — five females and one male. The females ranged in age from 3 1/2 to 10 years old and the male was about 7 1/2 years old, said Mark Biel, the Park’s natural resources manager.
Two goats had GPS radio collars, which provide accurate data but are expensive at $5,000 apiece. The remaining goats were fitted with less accurate VHF radio collars. The collars are designed to fall off after a certain time.
The project is headed up by renowned University of Montana scientist Joel Berger, but most of the fieldwork — tracking the goats through the seasons — is being completed by graduate student Wesley Sarmento, who skied miles and miles this winter in the Park.
The goal of the study is to compare goats living at Logan Pass with more isolated goats in other areas of the Park. The Logan Pass goats see hundreds of humans in a single day, as well as non-stop vehicle traffic. Goats in other parts of the Park rarely encounter humans.
Some differences have been revealed. For one, Logan Pass goats venture farther from cliffs than their wilder brethren. A goat at Logan Pass might get as far as a quarter mile from a cliff, grazing on the meadows at Logan Pass, while wild goats stay much closer to vertical terrain, where they can escape predators if necessary.
The Logan Pass goats will also venture into krummholz — thick groves of stunted trees found in alpine regions — more than their wild brethren.
A theory holds that Logan Pass goats may be more bold around humans because predators such as grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolverines tend to stay away from people — at least during the day when goats are out and about and feeding.
But goats are not completely tolerant of people. There were at least four instances of goats in the study showing aggression to humans who got too close to them.
Logan Pass goats don’t stay at the pass in winter — they migrate to steep cliffs on Mount Cannon above Avalanche Creek.
Researchers plan to collar more goats this spring for a total of 20 females and five males. Biel said FWP is also interested in the study and has donated three more GPS collars.
About 1,500 mountain goats inhabit Glacier Park, and the study represents about 1.6 percent of the population.
Biel said biologists are using observational data of wild goats for the comparison study but not radio collars because funding for the study came from the Federal Highway Administration and is limited to goats near the Sun Road.