County

Dinosaur seeks comments about removal of park mountain goats

DINO I The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public input on a draft management plan to restrict or remove exotic Rocky Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus, herein referred to as mountain goats) in Dinosaur National Monument, located in northwest Colorado and northeast Utah.

The first documented mountain goat sighting in Dinosaur National Monument was in June 2014 at the end of Harpers Corner Road near the Colorado-Utah line. It was spotted on several more occasions in this general area during the summer of 2014 and then again in June 2015.
The mountain goat is believed to have originated from Utah’s Leidy Peak herd, approximately 50 miles west of the monument. While native to the Northern Rockies, mountain goats were purposefully introduced into previously unoccupied mountain ranges for hunting and general recreation and enjoyment by Colorado and Utah state wildlife agencies.
Mountain goats are considered by NPS policy to be a non-native species and require proactive management action to protect sensitive and/or endemic plant and animal communities. The purpose of this process is to establish how Dinosaur National Monument will address mountain goats that are found within the monument boundary.
Dinosaur National Monument does not have alpine tundra or subalpine environments and there is no continuous corridor of terrain suitable for mountain goats to move into the monument from outside current herd locations. However, mountain goats do wander, particularly mountain goats from transplanted herds.
Although the risk may be small, mountain goats have the potential to transmit disease, such as pneumonia and Johne’s disease, to other native species such as native bighorn sheep, deer, pronghorn and elk.
Mountain goat dispersal and range expansion have created concerns for the National Park Service at Olympic, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, where mountain goats have traveled from introduced populations. Mountain goats are considered non-native/exotic at these parks also.
The National Park Service has developed procedures to remove mountain goats that include both live capture and lethal removal methods. Methods selected will depend on variables including the goat’s location, visitor and staff safety, risk of escape before capture, availability of a relocation site, and staff availability.
Comments can be submitted online at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website at parkplanning.nps.gov/ dinomtngoat, or you may submit written comments by mail to: Natural Resource Specialist, Dinosaur NM, 4545 E. Highway 40, Dinosaur, CO 81610. Please provide all comments by March 9.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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