Mountain Goats

During the 1990s, descendants of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) introduced into Montana during the 1940s and 1950s successfully colonized the northeast and northwest portions of Yellowstone National Park via the Absaroka and Gallatin mountain ranges. Aerial counts of mountain goats inside or within one kilometer of the park increased from 24 to 160 animals during 1997–2004. Many park staff and visitors consider mountain goats valuable, charismatic components of the ecosystem. Also, hunters place high value on the challenge of hunting mountain goats in areas near the park boundary. However, this colonization raises concerns about adverse effects to native bighorn sheep, rare plants, and alpine habitats. Studies of alpine vegetation in the northeast portion of the park during 2002 and 2003 suggest that ridgetop vegetation cover is lower, and barren areas along alpine ridges are more prevalent in areas with relatively high goat use. Resource competition from high densities of mountain goats could also negatively affect bighorn sheep, whose range overlaps with mountain goats.

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Updated 4/24/08