Mountain Goat Education at 2015 Montana Outdoor Science School
August 13, 2017
The RMGA was invited to the Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) to teach groups of young backpackers about mountain goat biology
By: Peter Muennich
On July 6th and 13th of 2015, the Goat Alliance was invited to the Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) to teach groups of young backpackers about mountain goat biology. Two different teams of middle age students spent a week each backpacking the Bridger Mountains just north of Bozeman, Montana. We covered mountain goat gender identification, reproductive cycles, and the value of hunter’s dollars in the conservation and management of big game species. After our outdoor classroom sessions, the students and their counselors hit the trails for a full week on the mountain.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance recruited these young conservationists to document mountain goat, moose, and mule deer sightings as they traveled. The data collected will be used by regional biologist, Julie Cummingham, to better manage her big game units in the years ahead. We were honored to be involved in the educating of MOSS’s summer students and look forward to continuing these classes in the summers ahead. RMGA provided all the kids with RMGA t-shirts and stickers as well as data sheets and folders for their trips.