If a man pees in the forest and a mountain goat is around to lick the salt deposit, will the goat ever leave?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As it turns out, no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After four years of study, Glacier National Park rangers have definitively figured out why mountain goats like to hang out at Logan Pass. New research shows the white-haired ungulates happen to be keen on humans, the defensive barrier they create against predators and the salty treats they tend to leave behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was a concern with the goats and sheep at Logan Pass,\u201d Mark Biel, GNP natural resources program manager, said. \u201cWe wanted to see what was driving them to hang out with people … we noticed they were acting a lot different and exhibiting different behaviors from the \u2018backcountry\u2019 goats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A backcountry goat, or in other words, a normally behaving goat, typically spends its time vigilantly observing its surroundings. They spend a large amount of time near escape terrain, like steep cliff faces, so they have a place they can easily get to when a bear comes by ready to pick off the young and the weak. They also stay together in larger groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Logan Pass goats take a much more lax approach to survival. They\u2019ve outsourced their defenses to the humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013, Biel teamed up with University of Montana professor of wildlife conservation Joel Berger and master\u2019s degree candidate Wesley Sarmento to study the Logan Pass goats\u2019 behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first step was collaring the goats with GPS trackers to monitor their movements and patterns. Sarmento also spent time in the area collecting observational data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biel said the cumulative data indicated that the Logan Pass herds weren\u2019t normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re hanging their hats on available salt; urine, antifreeze, sweaty pack straps,\u201d Biel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They don\u2019t consume enough of the antifreeze left behind by visitors\u2019 cars to kill them, Biel continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHowever, we did take some blood samples and we found low-level metabolites, but it doesn\u2019t appear to affect them like it would a dog or cat. It\u2019s still not good, but they haven\u2019t gotten enough to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The GPS collaring also indicated that half of the goats in the Logan Pass area were no longer migrating to natural salt deposits as they traditionally have in the past. Some still make the journey, but the rest find all the salt they need around the high-visitation area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goat X, named affectionately for his GPS collar number, was also found to have peculiar migration patterns. Goat X is known by rangers and visitors as the big billy who likes to hang out on the roof of the Logan Pass Visitor Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe follows the Highline Trail to Granite Park Chalet and Sperry Chalet to get anthropogenic (human deposited) salt,\u201d Biel said. \u201cThe trail has no predators, it\u2019s high-use and there\u2019s tons of available salt. With increased visitation, we\u2019re having more issues with human waste on the trail and the goats and sheep take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biel and the researchers were able to collect good data from the collars, but there was still no conclusive answer about whether it is the salt or the predator protection keeping the goats near humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, the 2015 Reynolds Creek Wildland Fire erupted in east Glacier and closed down Logan Pass to visitors. This gave the researchers the opening they needed to view the goats\u2019 behavior without humans and determine if salt or predator protection was keeping them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were no humans and enough salt that they would stay if that was it,\u201d Biel said. \u201cBut the GPS data and remote cameras showed that when the people were gone, the predators came in and the goats headed to the mountains. So, we concluded that they\u2019re here for predator avoidance \u2014 salt is a secondary bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This finding was further proven when Sarmento tested both the Logan Pass goats and the backcountry goats\u2019 reactions when he presented himself with a deer model, as a human and with a bear model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the deer was presented, neither party had a reaction. With human presence, the Logan Pass goats kept an eye on him and the backcountry goats ran about 100 meters away. When Wesley presented the bear model, the backcountry goats ran 200 meters and the Logan Pass goats ran about 75 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt showed that they don\u2019t want to be around something that could eat them,\u201d Biel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biel took these findings and developed a plan of action. If goats don\u2019t want things with sharp teeth hanging around, he needed to enlist the help of a cooperative animal that could strike fear in habituated goats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enter Gracie: Glacier\u2019s resident bark ranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hoped a wolf-like thing for the habituated goats would keep them where they need to be,\u201d Biel said. \u201cIt\u2019s working fairly well so far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three-year-old border collie is in her second season of goat patrol at Logan Pass. Her mission is to keep the goats wild by ensuring they stay away from people and parking lots. She also serves as an interpretive tool to teach people about respecting the land and wildlife in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUsing a dog is one of the most successful ways to manage wildlife,\u201d Allyson Cowan, Gracie\u2019s trainer from the Wind River Institute, said. \u201cWe\u2019re teaching the animals that there is a way to feel safe without hazing or harassment. We\u2019ll herd them to their natural habitat and then give Gracie her \u2018down\u2019 signal, telling the sheep they\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also serves as an interpretive tool to teach people about respecting the land and wildlife in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July, visitation to Glacier broke the one million mark. The park is on course for a record-setting year. With that comes a host of issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnecdotally, last year at Logan Pass there was a little bit of trash to pick up,\u201d Biel said. \u201cThis year, the first thing our volunteers do is walk around and fill one to two shopping bags with garbage, like food, socks, diapers, insoles. The wildlife are targeting this area because they know it\u2019s there now. What\u2019s funny is often times the garbage is less than 5-feet from a bear-proof garbage can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The park is working to find solutions to these issues. Programs like Gracie\u2019s interpretive role at Logan Pass help make a difference, but officials urge people to take it upon themselves to learn about human and wildlife safety in the park before they visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRangers have been stretched pretty thin responding to the increased number of calls this summer,\u201d GNP Superintendent Jeff Mow said in a statement. \u201cWe deeply appreciate everyone who takes the time to really read up on trail conditions, wildlife safety, and what to bring with you on your trip. Every person who comes to the park well-prepared really helps us out as we strive to meet this increased demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goat study wrapped in 2016 and Biel has been busy working to use the knowledge he gained to mitigate human\/wildlife issues in the park since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt drove home the idea of predator avoidance,\u201d Biel said. \u201cIt was interesting to figure that out, learn more about goats and tease out how humans affect wildlife behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gracie is training the goats, now it\u2019s up to Biel to train the people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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