People living along American River Drive welcomed some new neighbors this summer . . . goats! The goats are bred for grazing overgrown lots and managing excess brush over the course of several weeks. The County of Sacramento Department of Water Resources hired Debbie Olympias, owner of KD Goat Ranch, to graze her goats at a grass lot along American River Drive called the Wilhaggin Basin. The goats became such an attraction many neighbors didn’t want them to leave. As Insight intern Annie Chernich reports, using goats for brush control isn’t just a spectacle. They manage the ecosystem naturally without the use of lawnmowers that can cause a fire hazard in the dry summer months.

LINKS:

• Goats, Sheep Work As Lawn Mowers
• The Goat Brigate Preventing Wildfires In Southern California