Goats to Clear Vacant Parcels Off Lawton Drive

To clear brush from abandoned parcels on the east side of town, the city has turned to one of the most environmentally friendly strategies available—goats.

Anywhere from 125 to 175 Boer goats, known for their docile nature and hearty appetite for invasive plants, will be deployed Saturday morning on a hillside near Lawton Drive and Camino de las Palmas. The herd will get to work starting at 9 a.m., and is expected to be done clearing the eight and one-half acres of overgrowth by Tuesday.

The city along with Heartland Fire & Rescue have contracted with Environmental Land Management to handle the weed abatement project on parcels off Lawton Drive overlooking Route 125 that are owned by the defunct LG Environmental Properties Inc. The city has cleared the open space annually over the course of several years, and has placed liens on the property in an effort to recover code enforcement fines, fees and forced abatement costs needed to remove fire and safety hazards.

Currently, five property tax liens on the vacant parcels total almost $18,000, according to city officials.

Johnny Gonzalez, owner of Environmental Land Management, said one reason goats are so effective at weed abatement is that they actually prefer to eat the materials that fuel fires.

“They go through invasive plants first,” he says. “They take care of the weeds and scrub. Then they go after the mustard, dandelions and tumbleweeds. Native plants would be a secondary, third or fourth phase food.”

Using a herd of goats to clear brush and create defensible space for homes is greener and results in a safer area compared to commercial methods, according to Gonzalez. Benefits include the goat’s droppings, which naturally fertilize the ground, and no chaff being left behind.

Chaff, the dry particles of plant material left in a field cleared with a weed eater, said Gonzalez, burn like embers during a fire and cause its spread.

“Chaff gets up into the wind flow in a fire and can be transferred,” he says. “It’s what spreads fire.”

According to Heartland Fire & Rescue, this type of brush abatement is invaluable to firefighters in protecting land and nearby homes from fast-moving brush fires.

The fire department delivered notices to 72 property owners surrounding the site in preparation for the project.

The goats will be moved into a staging area at the end of Lawton Drive on Friday, and penned there overnight. The public is invited to see baby goats in a nursery paddock, and to watch the “running of the goats” as the herd is guided into the brush on Saturday morning.

Those who would like to see the goats are welcome to come by between 7 and 9 a.m. Saturday. The running of the goats will start at 9 a.m., and the public will not be allowed to interact with them once they are at work.

A shepherd will be housed with the goats 24 hours a day until the job is done. There will also be a herd dog on site.

Gonzalez says the goats are quite docile.

“They’re nice, they’re sociable. They do not smell,” he says. “They’re more calm than people realize. They act more like puppies.”