CALGARY USES GOATS TO HELP CONTROL INVASIVE WEEDS AT EDGE OF CITY.
CALGARY TEST-DRIVES HERD OF 106 TO TACKLE WEED CONTROL WITHOUT CHEMICAL HERBICIDES
Tucked in a pocket of land between two highways at the edge of the city, 106 goats are being herded up hills, between shrubs and behind fences in search of the despised Canadian thistle.
Calgarians are encouraged to admire the spectacle of a large urban park swamped by a benign flock of goats, but they are also warned to avoid petting the creatures and to keep dogs on leash.
And if a yappy Pomeranian flings himself in the herd’s direction? “Frankly, my money would be on the goat,” said Chris Manderson, urban conservation lead for Calgary Parks.
Following other western Canadian jurisdictions such as Kamloops, Cranbrook and Chilliwack, Calgary is attempting to keep invasive weeds in check with the help of voracious goats.
“The benefits of goats over other livestock is that they destroy the seed in their droppings, which are a natural fertilizer that releases slowly,” said goatherd Jeannette Hall, who owns Calgary- based Baah’d Plant Management and Reclamation.
The city is spending about $ 25,000 for a two- to three- week pilot project that will try to manage invasive weeds at Confluence Park. The herd, which consists only of female adults and kids, can chew through one to eight hectares of weeds a day, depending on the terrain and climate.
At the end of the project, Manderson said, the city will evaluate how well weeds have been reduced and prevented from returning. If the project proves economical, it may be extended to other parks, perhaps in tandem with more traditional herbicides.
“We’re really just interested in seeing how this all plays out,” he said. “Weeds are an issue in any park. Any homeowner knows about weeds. The issue for us is how to manage those weeds while protecting the parks’ biodiversity. Invasive species tend to crowd out native (species).”
Legislation also requires cities to keep weeds under control. And that’s not cheap.
“Effective weed control tends to be expensive, so (we’re looking for) any way we can to do it more cheaply and with less reliance on chemical herbicides.”
Manderson said conventional spot spraying can cost up to $1,500 a hectare. Grazing by goats could reduce or at least offset weed-management costs — no small accomplishment in Calgary, which has more than 8,000 hectares of parkland.
However, he admits, it’s still experimental.
“We think it will be more economical, but that remains to be seen,” he said.
Moving a herd of 100 goats around is no easy feat. Several horses and dogs, including a border collie named Tuff and a Great Pyrenees named David Suzuki, must be brought in to manage the animals.
Hall, their shepherd, will live in the park day and night in a tiny, self-contained house made locally mostly of recycled materials.
Hall, who wears a crystal around her neck and a T-shirt emblazoned with a quote from Buddha, said she began her business about a year ago after spending several years as an environmental consultant.
Most of her clients are private, and hire her to manicure their lawns or clean up oil-rig sites.
It can take a three- or four-year program to manage an invasive species. Over that time, however, she said, there can be huge cost savings. Furthermore, herding keeps the pH level of soil stable, which prevents other invasive weeds from encroaching.
And it’s quite the intense schedule, for goats and shepherds alike. The animals nibble away from morning to late evening, taking breaks for water and during the mid-day heat.
Through training and commands, the goats are directed to specific patches of weeds. Unlike other, more difficult livestock, the animals tend to be friendly and don’t stink.
The park will remain open throughout the pilot project, although admirers will have to respect the goats’ need to work. At the end, residents will be invited for a “meet and greet,” which may include petting.
“If I can trade off goat- grazing to reduce the amount of times we have to go in and spray, I’d be pretty happy about that,” said Manderson.
GOATS DESTROY WEED SEEDS IN THEIR DROPPINGS.