You've goat to be kidding: City gets a four-legged assist removing invasive plants in the bosque
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Goats may be the key to clearing out the invasive plants infesting the bosque.
The city of sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Open Space Division and Galloping Goats 鈥� a company that contracts out herds of goats 鈥� are collaborating to send 285 goats to the Rio Grande bosque, where they鈥檒l devour invasive species like kochia and tumbleweed to prevent wildfires.
Through Feb. 21, the goats will be hard at work near Tingley and Alcalde not only removing unwanted plants but also fertilizing the surrounding land. The bosque trail will remain closed during the project.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 really awesome about these goats is that when they eat plants, 80% to 90% of the seeds they ingest are no longer viable ... They become fertilizer and are less likely to sprout into more plants,鈥� said Emily Moore, marketing and communications coordinator for the city鈥檚 Parks and Recreation Department.
The animals will roam the bosque and Galloping Goats will fence off native plants with portable electric netting.
鈥淭he goats are pretty much grazing six to seven days a week right now,鈥� said Lucas Goodrum, co-owner of Galloping Goats.
Another added benefit to using goats instead of machinery is that it protects the bosque鈥檚 ecosystem.
鈥淕oats work really well for fire mitigation, invasive species management and weed management in general,鈥� Goodrum said. 鈥淭he goats are able to work in areas you wouldn鈥檛 be able to get lawnmowers or heavy equipment in. It鈥檚 a very natural process, so they鈥檙e a lot less destructive to the ecosystem.鈥�
The city encourages people to watch the goats while avoiding the grazing area.
鈥淲alkers and cyclists and people are stopping to see them, so it鈥檚 fun to engage in that conversation,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen so many smiles. It鈥檚 important work the goats are doing and people can come out and see how cute these guys are and learn about why it鈥檚 important to prevent fires in our bosque.鈥�
