Governor Mark Gordon expressed his gratitude to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt after Bernhardt intervened to call off a planned mountain goat culling through aerial gunning in Grand Teton National Park. Bernhardt’s order to “stand down” came in a phone call to Acting Grand Teton Park Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail late Friday. The call was made after Governor Gordon shared with Bernhardt a strongly-worded letter sent to Noojibail Friday afternoon. In the letter the Governor criticized the Park Service’s choice to “act unilaterally aerially executing mountain goats over the State of Wyoming’s objections.” The aerial operation targeted a population of mountain goats that pose a threat by competing with the bighorn sheep for habitat and potentially spreading disease to the native population. Last month, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission had passed a resolution condemning the use of aerial gunning to remove mountain goats from the Targhee herd and urged Grand Teton to use skilled volunteers as the removal method. The operation was to have begun last Friday.
photo:nps
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