Got goats?

Urban areas constantly have to work to manage the vines and shrubs that can overwhelm their green spaces. This usually requires lots of manpower, time, and equipment during the growing season. But there is another way---I found an article in Virginia Town and City, May 2011, that I loved. The City of Charlottesville is trying another approach--goats! This spring their new program was launched. They rented a few dozen livestock to graze on quickly growing invasive plants. The Dept. of Parks and Recreation used the goats for three weeks as an alternative to chemicals and to see how efficient and cost-effective the goats would be. The results were positive. The goats proved effective in keeping the invasive plants in check. They proved so succesful that the city is using them this summer to attack kudzu. The goats were managed without supervision by a clearly marked electric fence plus two herding dogs given temporary quarters in the enclosed area. The goats were obviously happy as well; seven kids were born during this experiment. Goats eat most type of vegetation except large trees, and they strip the bark off vines and smaller shrubs that are growing out of control. I like the idea of seeing those goats eating their way through to a neater and healthier urban forest.