A massive, woolly mountain goat slowly lifted her head above a granite outcrop, silhouetted against the thin alpine sky.
For years, photographing a mountain goat had been a personal goal of mine. But as a Texan who lives at just 14 feet above sea level on the Texas coast, I felt every step as I climbed near 14,000 feet on Colorado’s Mount Blue Sky. The altitude slowed me down, sharpened my breathing, and reminded me just how far from home I truly was.
As I carefully made my way toward the rock, I realized the goat was a nanny—and tucked close beside her was a beautiful, very young kid. The moment was brief but powerful. I raised my camera, capturing her strength and grace, and I made sure to focus on the collar and ear tag she wore, knowing those details mattered beyond the photograph itself.
When I returned home, I contacted Rebecca Boyce with Colorado Parks & Wildlife to learn more about the goat I had photographed. What I discovered was fascinating. The nanny, identified as Ear Tag #1128, had been fitted with a GPS collar in October 2016. At the time of capture, she was estimated to be five years old or older and in good body condition. Her collar transmitted data until January 2017, when it likely failed due to a malfunction.
According to Boyce, the data revealed that from October 2016 through January 2017, the goat spent her entire time within just 2.2 square miles around Mount Blue Sky. Even in its short lifespan, the collar provided valuable insight into how these animals use the rugged alpine landscape.
That experience reinforced an important lesson for me and my family: turning in any tag or collar information you encounter truly matters. Those small details—often overlooked—help wildlife biologists piece together the stories that guide conservation and management decisions.
Sharing this moment with my daughter, Faith, and my wife, Lisa, made it even more meaningful. Standing together on that mountain and later learning how one observation could contribute to conservation became a highlight of our conservation awareness work. It reminded us that meaningful conservation doesn’t always start with grand actions—it starts with paying attention, respecting wildlife, and choosing to share what we see so it can make a difference.
Chester Moore
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Good job