OGDEN — For a number of years, with the right kind of luck, someone hiking Ben Lomond or one of the other mountain areas near Ogden might have been able to observe (from a safe distance) one of the mountain goats living nearby.

Those opportunities have become exceedingly rare in recent years, though, as the number of animals roaming the area has shrunk exponentially.

It’s a trend the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources hopes to reverse.

“We’re planning to transplant 15 mountain goats — mostly females — onto Willard Peak this November or December,” Mark Hadley, DWR’s Northern Region outreach manager, told the Standard-Examiner. “Introducing the 15 goats should help the population grow.”

Mountain goats, or Oreamnos amreicanus — a protected species in Utah since 1919 — were introduced to the area from Lone Peak in 1994. Additional animals were transported to the region from Provo Peak in 2000.

“After placing goats on Willard Peak, some of the goats dispersed off the mountains and headed both north and south,” Hadley explained.

He noted that the local population peaked at around 315 mountain goats in 2011. At that juncture, he added, the animals could be “occasionally observed” on the Wellsville Mountains in Cache County and in the mountains east of Ogden.

Now, though, DWR estimates that only 30 or so mountain goats live in the area. The combination of animals being relocated to other areas and the recent cycle of harsh winters followed by extreme heat/drought conditions during summer months has led to the reduction.

“We had reports of up to 20 mountain goats living above Ogden several years ago, but in the past couple of years, we’ve observed only a small number of individual goats,” Hadley said.

DWR spokesperson Faith Jolley told the Standard-Examiner that transporting more animals to Willard Peak will require capturing them from a helicopter using a net gun. The mountain goats then will be airlifted to an area where health checks can be performed and GPS collars can be placed, after which they’ll be transported to their new location via trailer and released.

Jolley added that mountain goats help provide “a unique outdoor experience that people don’t find everywhere in Utah.”

“Mountain goats are often admired by outdoor enthusiasts, wildlife watchers and photographers,” she said. “Their presence can attract tourists and recreationalists to the area, boosting local economies through ecotourism-related activities. They are also a hunted species in Utah.”

Alas, Hadley says it could be a while before local goat watchers are able to hit pay dirt again.

“Please remember that Willard Peak is many miles from the east bench in Ogden, so it’s doubtful folks will see increased numbers of goats east of Ogden anytime soon,” he added.