By: Rick Freimuth

Rick Freimuth — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 14:43:44 +0000

Goats and beaver are key to wildfire reduction in the west as well as proper pay for our federal wildland firefighters. Thanks for an informative and fun article.

By: Goat for it!!! – “Summer is the season of inferior sledding” – Inuit proverb

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 18:45:39 +0000

[…] October 2, 2023Martha Kennedy Leave a comment Goats can be a forest’s best friend […]

By: Crista Worthy

Crista Worthy — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:27:56 +0000

I agree that goats are fantastic at eating up noxious weeds and preventing fires. Where I live, in a small unincorporated community outside Boise, in the foothills, we have lots of open space and natural areas. Many decades ago the area was overgrazed, so weeds can be a problem. Two years in a row, a professional brought his goats and set up temporary electric fencing, moving the goats around the area over the course of several weeks. This went splendidly until the dog–a huge guard dog left among the sheep–attacked a small boy and bit him severely. This either happened because of a hole in the fence, or when the goats were being moved; I can’t remember. There were multiple causes: the parents should have kept closer watch on their toddler when the family went out for a walk, the goat owner should have been monitoring the goats better, and the dog should have been watched over as well. The dog was there to prevent a mountain lion or coyotes from attacking the goats at night, when they are unattended, but it apparently felt the toddler was a threat. So, that was the end of my community benefitting from goats. It’s a cautionary tale, and I tell it so that in the future others involved in these programs will be more careful–goats are still an excellent solution.

Comments on: Goats can be a forest’s best friend

By: Rick Freimuth

By: Goat for it!!! – “Summer is the season of inferior sledding” – Inuit proverb

By: Crista Worthy