Goat Army Coming To Southington To Rid Park Of Invasive Plants

SOUTHINGTON, CT — One of the town's more popular passive recreation hotspots has some invasive plant species that are causing aesthetic headaches for park users.

So, Southington officials appear to be ready to bring in an army to clear it out — a goat army.

The Southington Open Space & Land Acquisition Committee earlier this month hosted the owner of Bradley Mountain Farm, 537 Shuttle Meadow Road.

The historic farm, which has become a local attraction unto itself, just happens to be located near the town's Crescent Lake Open Space Parcel at 495 Shuttle Meadow Road, which provides public access to open space, the lake and several recreation trails.

Anneliese Dadras, who owns Bradley Mountain Farm, went before the committee to discuss a plan that sounds so unusual, it just might work.

In fact, she told committee members it would.

The idea is to use 40 goats from the farm to "work on" invasive species removal with the Crescent Lake Open Space parcel.

Of course, the goats won't be donning hard hats and utilizing gardening tools to remove the invasive plants. They'll be eating them.

Dadras told the town the goats would be confined to a temporary, solar-powered electric fence around the "work area," with a perimeter fence around the electric fence.

The operation would be mobile and it would be set up by farm employees utilizing utility terrain vehicles.

Signs would be necessary to warn the public about what the goats are doing on the town property, with folks being told to look, but don't touch, the goats and the fencing.

According to Dadras, there is some precendent for such goat operations being successful, as she told the committee they were once used for a trail maintenance event at the town's Novick Orchard open space site on Flanders Road.

The committee unanimously voted to spend $200 for the warning signage in conjunction with the operation, which will take place when the weather allows for it.

Southington Assistant Town Planner/Environmental Land Use Planner David Lavallee will work with Dadras and committee chairman Paul Chaplinsky, Jr., also the Southington Town Council vice chair, to pick spots for the goats to invade.

For the minutes of the Feb. 2 Southington Open Space & Land Acquisition Committee, click on this link.

For more information on the Crescent Lake Open Space area, click on this link.

For more information on Bradley Mountain Farm, click on this link.