Project Details

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Goal 1: Describe genetic diversity using microsatellite markers, which will allow use of both invasive (blood, tissue) and non-invasive (fecal samples, hair) samples, as well as comparison
to other published studies e.g., (Poissant et al., 2009; Ortego et al., 2011; Shafer et al., 2012;
Parks et al., 2015) or ongoing studies (e.g., the Epps lab is genotyping mountain goat samples from Glacier National Park at 19 microsatellite loci). Although no standard set of loci has been employed across previous mountain goat genetic studies, our current set of up to 19
microsatellite loci overlap with many loci used in other published studies (Mainguy et al., 2007;
Ortego et al., 2011; Poole et al., 2011; Paetkau, 2018; Oscarson et al., 2024; Young et al.,
2024) ; those studies report locus-specific heterozygosity estimates that can be used for locus-by-locus comparison with the populations in our proposed study.
Goal 2: Describe genetic diversity using RADSeq or similar techniques to identify single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the sampled populations and genotype all appropriate samples. This analysis will be limited to high-quality sources of DNA such as blood and tissue. While comparable data from other populations not directly included in this study do not yet exist, this will serve as a baseline for future efforts if comparable data is desired by other jurisdictions. Moreover, these data will provide the potential for more detailed analyses of inbreeding, for example through estimation of long runs of heterozygosity (Curik et al., 2014) , and genetic assignment for future analysis of the success of the augmentation.
Goal 3: Determine the ability to differentiate mountain goats from different populations by genetic assignment, using Program STRUCTURE (microsatellites) (Pritchard et al., 2000) , DAPC (microsatellites or SNPs) (Jombart et al., 2010) , or Entropy (Shastry et al., 2021) , and estimate genetic differentiation among populations. This will provide insights about the degree to which Nevada and Utah's existing herds have diverged genetically, as well as potentially helping to review potential source populations for future augmentations. Most critically, this will determine whether we can clearly differentiate existing EH mountain goats from those released in the November 2024 augmentation, to allow future determination of the relative success of existing and new lineages (and thus the value or success of the augmentation effort). Because the EH and RM populations as well as the goats sourced from the Tushar Mountains in Utah for the augmentation all have some ancestry from mountain goats from Olympic National Park, it is unclear whether we will have the ability to easily discriminate individuals by herd or source through genetic assignment. However, generating both microsatellite and SNP data should maximize our ability to do so.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.

Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.

List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.

Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.

Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.