Submitted by Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region Olympic National Forest
The Mount Ellinor trails system and Forest Road 2419 to Mt. Ellinor will be closed to the public starting the evening of August 18 until the morning of August 30. This closure is needed to assist mountain goat relocation efforts of the Olympic National Park and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Mountain goats are not native to the Olympic Peninsula, and captured goats will be relocated to augment low populations In the Washington North Cascades where they are native. The relocation effort, begun in 2018, has so far removed 115 goats from the Olympic National Park. This summer’s effort will also include capturing animals on the Olympic National Forest.
An earlier goat capture taking place on the Olympic Peninsula in mid-July will not impact the Mt. Ellinor trails system.
For more information about the Olympic National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/olympic/home.
