SPEARFISH — Once upon a time, back in 2013, a pregnant mountain goat ran away from her herd along the Needles Highway, and found shelter in the Spearfish Canyon. That spring, she gave birth to a male goat, also known as a billy, and some time after that, she and her little billy had baby goats … together.
This is only the beginning of the story for the current herd of mountain goats in the Spearfish Canyon.
“That entire herd (in Spearfish Canyon) is actually founded from those two individuals and the billy was the son, I guess, for lack of a better term, of the original nanny,” said Trenton Haffley, regional terrestrial resources supervisor for South Dakota Game Fish and Parks.
When Spearfish City Council held a study session Nov. 16, citizens Bill Coburn and Les Heiserman utilized the time for public comment to shed light on the mountain goats.
“I’m here representing the mountain goats in Spearfish Canyon.” Coburn said. “There’s a concern that goats have located themselves in the Canyon several times … There’s an issue of sustainability there with the goats.”
He discussed his thoughts for helping the population.
“If the population’s gonna be sustained over time, and we have the proper gene pool, there’s got to be more males coming.” Coburn said.
Coburn brought his concerns to the city council with hope to get officials involved to spark interest in the matter with the GF&P. Per the requirements of public comment, government officials were not allowed to take action on the matter at that time.
Heiserman joined Coburn at the podium to discuss what he knows about the current situation as well.
Heiserman has been following and photographing the goats in the Canyon since he noticed the first female, coined, “Granny Nanny,” in 2016.
Granny Nanny passed away earlier this year, likely due to old age.
Heiserman said there are 10 goats in the Canyon, with only one adult male.
He doesn’t know if this is a problem in terms of population or inbreeding, but Heiserman wants to find out. When talking to a biologist from GF&P, he said it brought up cause for concern.
“He (the biologist) said it’s a dead-end gene pool, and you know, all of a sudden they’re being born with three toes, or running into walls, or whatever.” Heiserman said.
Haffley said that the effects of inbreeding are unknown when it comes to mountain goats, due to the fact that it can’t be studied easily in a wild habitat/population. To definitely know the effects of inbreeding, there would have to be intentional inbreeding in a controlled environment.
Haffley also said that GF&P doesn’t consistently keep tabs on the herd in the Canyon.
“We don’t really monitor it closely enough to be able to know if there’s a concern or not.” Haffley said. “We don’t actively survey that area. It’s outside of our mountain goat management range at this point, so it’s really kind of a … peripheral sub herd.”
He said that currently, the department doesn’t have a plan for the goats in the Canyon.
“If they (the goats) continue to hang out and thrive, that’s great. But, if they don’t, we don’t have any plans right now, to ensure that they persist.” Haffley said.
He said department staff has noticed a decrease in the mountain goat population throughout the Black Hills.
“What we’re speculating at this point is likely, the issues that we have with mountain goats, or having mountain goats persist in the Black Hills, is that it’s just not suitable habitat, and we’re outside of their normal range. Mountain goats are not native to South Dakota, so inbreeding would not be the first thing that we would jump to, to say, ‘oh yeah, if we bring in more goats, this is going to solve everything.’” Haffley said.
Habitat or climate restrictions, will always prevent South Dakota having a lot of mountain goats, Haffley said, and the low population in the Canyon matches what they’re seeing throughout the Hills.
Heiserman has kept track of the goats in the Canyon for a long time now.
“I’m no scientist, but I try to pay attention to the goats … they so fascinate me, and I try to keep pretty close track of ‘em.” Heiserman said.
He believes there is only one billy left in the Canyon due to the appearance and actions of said goat compared to the others. Heiserman, who ventures up the Canyon on a near-daily basis, has spent a lot of time around the goats, and feels confident in identifying the gender.
When talking about his thoughts on the mountain goats and the involvement of the GF&P, he said that the department uses the excuse of the goats being, “invasive and not native” to South Dakota as a reason to ignore or hunt them.
According to the “South Dakota Mountain Goat Management Plan, 2018-2027,” Custer State Park officials obtained six mountain goats from Alberta, Canada in 1924, and placed them in a zoo at the park. The first night in the zoo, two goats escaped. By 1929, the rest of the goats had escaped. This was the beginning of goats in the Hills.
“When you think of South Dakota, you know, our state bird isn’t native, the pheasant’s not native.” Heiserman said. “When you think of Spearfish, rainbow trout aren’t native.”
Heiserman believes that saying the goats aren’t native is a “weak argument.”
When asked what his main concern is when it comes to the goats in the Canyon, Heiserman said he isn’t really sure right now, but just hopes there can be more communication between citizens and the GF&P.
Coburn declined to comment on his stance regarding the mountain goats, saying he wants to formulate a plan to bring to the GF&P before talking on the matter.
The GF&P has allowed very limited mountain goat hunting opportunities. This year, two tags were available.
The GF&P staffers require successful hunters to submit the animals, and the staffers will then gather biological data on the animals.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime license.
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