‘24/7 EATING MACHINES’
Goatscaping? No kidding! The Elephant Butte Irrigation District is using an old strategy to curb weeds near NMSU
Goatscaping, or the use of goats to maintain property, has been around since Adam was kneehigh to a June bug. They’re tough, notorious for eating pretty much anything, and are relatively easy to manage. Today, goats are even showing up as humorous yoga class companions. Throughout the world, they are put to work maintaining rural areas and are increasingly found in urban settings, munching away in hard-to-access locations.
Here in the Southwest, goats have historically been used to clean and maintain canals and drains. Local farmers still relate stories of goat herds assisting with the annual acequia cleaning.
Elephant Butte Irrigation District recently tested this method to deal with the constant growth of unwanted trees and weeds in their water delivery and drain system.
Jake Perrault and his Green Machine Goatscaping began work in late July on the Park Drain pilot project near the western edge of New Mexico State University.
The drain is surrounded by community roads and businesses. Yards away, Interstate 10 hums with a steady stream of vehicles, the major thoroughfares of University Avenue, Main Street and Valley Drive converge, and NMSU’s new Marriott Courtyard hotel and the Ramada occupy lots just to the east and north.
“Maintaining our drains is an ongoing issue; it’s very challenging to keep all 600 miles of canals, laterals and drains maintained, especially in this area right here near NMSU. We need to keep it better maintained near the campus than we do in rural areas. We’re trying a different option that we hope will last longer,” said Zack Libbin, Elephant Butte Irrigation District engineer.
The busy location sets this drain up as a perfect candidate for alternative maintenance. Libbin says, “We’re trying to find more environmentally friendly, green ways to keep these drains and canals maintained. Maybe going back to the old method will be a good solution.”
He hopes that using goats will reduce equipment and employee costs, while improving areas like this.
“Using the drain as a temporary goat bed-and-breakfast will help encourage grass to grow,” Libbin says. “Their hoofs working the ground can also help improve soil health and reduce erosion, creating a sustainable management environment.”
These multipurpose animals readily adapt to the steep banks and overgrown foliage of irrigation systems and dams, and can eat an overgrown drain down to nothing in weeks. “They are 24/7 eating machines,” Perrault says. He began the Park Drain project with about 70 goats and installed appropriate fences to keep the animals contained and safe.
Goatscaping advocates say the benefits of using goats as a landscaping maintenance tool include their ability to thoroughly digest non-beneficial weeds, trees and their seeds. For example, the Chinese elm, a prolific self-seeding nuisance tree, sprouts regularly in the district’s drain system. Goats will eat entire younger trees, grinding up seeds, leaves and bark, then digging up the roots. They’ll even stand on the trees and knock them down so they can reach the remaining green canopy.
The second phase of the district’s pilot project will be at the North Doña Ana Dam. Additional goats will be needed for this larger space. Approximately 4 acres are designated for intensive grazing, removal of woody vegetation and seeding, while an additional five are scheuduled for simple removal/management of woody vegetation.
Libbin and his team at the Elephant Butte Irrigation District will analyze the effects of these temporary goat employees. If the process works well both here and on the next phase at the dam, “Then we’ll see where else we’d like to try and implement it where it’s most appropriate.
“Looks like the goats may be on a callback status as environmentally safe vegetation managers and soil improvers if they work hard and clean their plates.”