photo by Keith Gunnar
These noble creatures were once the signature animal of the Olympic
National Park. Most
(but not all) lived in the park. The ONP put out salt licks
on Klahanie ridge. (Goats are addicted
to salt) so visitors could see them as they drove up to
the Hurricane Ridge concession building.
But, when political correctness took over, the purists decided the
goats must go when they found
out that some were imported from Alaska in the 1920s. It has never
been established whether
goats were present in the mountains before* that import. Nor has
it ever been established why
it should matter. But the eco-centrists decided they must
go, making all kinds of unproven claims
that they were harming vegetation in the park. Goats exist
very well in the Cascade Mountains
(including Mt. Rainier National Park).
The ONP captured a bunch and gave them to other parks, killing many
in the process and leaving
young nursing kids to starve when their mothers were either killed
or captured. Now they are rarely
seen in the Olympic mountains and may be extinct already.
photo by Keith Gunnar
The only "damage" the goat haters could actually point to was
some places where park employees
had previously put out salt licks. When they stopped , the
goats dug down into the earth to get salt
that had melted and soaked into the soil. So, WHO was Actually
responsible for that "damage"?
Answer: The latest "foreign species" introduced into the park
- - The people in the funny hats.
* Note: Goats in the Olympics reported by the National Geographic
magazine in 1895 - also other
pre-1920s publications and the 1890 Press expedition.
The NPS has admitted to spending over One Million of your tax dollars to eliminate these goats
and who knows how much more. How do you feel about that?
Respond to : nobb@marvchastain.com