Hungry Goats Help Handle Hefty Groundskeeping Job At The Harvey School

BEDFORD, NY — No kidding. Goats made short work of an especially tricky landscaping task that might have otherwise required countless man-hours, heavy machinery and potentially hazardous chemicals.

The Harvey School announced the pilot program through a partnership with Bedford 2030 and the Town of Bedford. The school will continue to host a herd of 33 goats over the next two weeks to help with the removal of invasive species on a particularly overgrown area of the school's campus. As part of the Rooted Solutions Action Area, Bedford 2030 will be monitoring the pilot goat grazing as natural vegetation management to determine the effectiveness of the method to control invasive species.

Invasive vines, like porcelain berry, can take over landscapes and crowd out other native species, displacing insects and significantly altering local ecology and limiting potential carbon capture. By controlling the local seed bank of invasive species, it will reduce their likelihood of spreading across communities.

SEE ALSO: Town Turns To Goats For Environmentally Friendly Landscaping

The Harvey School hired the 33 goats from Fat and Sassy Goats, owned and operated by Jenn Balch and Donald Arrand, to manage the infestation of invasive vines on their property using natural methods instead of chemical herbicides which put toxins into the ecosystems and watershed, or air-polluting machines used to clear brush that compact soil and create less water absorption and more runoff. Goats have a unique ability to clear land of invasive species, while also fertilizing, mulching and aerating the soil, maintaining native tree canopy and preserving groundwater health, with no chemicals required. As an added bonus, goats offer a cheaper and more regenerative form of land restoration.

Bedford is exploring alternatives to chemical herbicides and fertilizers to remove invasive plant species on municipally-owned green spaces as well. This spring, the Bedford Town Board voted to ask the Bedford Planning Board to review the potential code change regarding targeted vegetation management using goats and sheep.

The move came at the request of Bedford 2030, the familiar grassroots group with an ambitious goal of ushering the local community to an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2040.

The goats' progress in the pilot program was already reported to be "astounding." Bedford 2030 reported that the herd defoliated the invasive vines pictured below in just 3 days:

Bedford 2030's List Of Goat Advantages:

• 10 goats can typically clear through an acre in 30 days. Over three grazing seasons, the prevalence of the invasive species will be significantly reduced and potentially even eradicated.
• While goats will not eat everything, they do tend to naturally prefer "pest" plants which threaten woodlands.
• Goats remain at a site regardless of weather and will seek natural shelter in the rain. Water and supplemental feed are provided as needed.
• The goats are moved every 2-3 days to encourage effective grazing, and provide natural manure and soil aeration across the property.
• Goat digestion naturally ferments the seeds they ingest, making them unviable for regeneration.
• Goats defoliate invasive plants, thus depriving them of their "solar panels" needed to grow.
• A solar-powered fence can keep the goats safe from predators.

More information about Rooted Solutions or natural land management using goats can be obtained by emailing Eve Hundt at this address.

SEE ALSO:

• Welcome Party Planned For Riverside Park's Weed-Eating Goats
• Riverside Park Goats Sent Back To Farm For Being Too Efficient
• Goat Gardeners Take the High Ground in Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Unusual Non-Toxic Weed Control Strategy Being Used Across LI