Goats on the Go!

We believe in caring for our public land by clearing problematic weeds so that our gardens and parks can be healthy.

Goats are proven to be an effective, eco-friendly and fun way to manage vegetation where overgrown and unwanted invasive plants are growing. The Allegheny GoatScape herd is adept at arriving at designated sites and immediately getting to work, eating through the plants until their job is done. They effectively provide a "clean slate" for those wishing to use the property, allowing the ability to manage the space, plant desired plants or get creative with how the space might be used for personal or community projects. 

In the years that this herd has been operating from site to site, they have lacked one significant component to their operation: legitimate transportation. A small horse trailer is a perfect size for this outfit, providing the opportunity for the animals to easily get in and out at a job site, without having to maneuver a truck to find just the right location to get in and out every time. A horse trailer allows safe travel, and easy in and out access.

Allegheny GoatScape will seek a quality used horse trailer that will sufficiently transport the herd and purchase it with the funds raised through this campaign. After obtaining this key component to the operation, Allegheny GoatScape will then be able to transport the herd to locations in need of their vegetation mitigation services in communities throughout the Pittsburgh region. A portion of the funds will allow the herd to operate on a site in need of goat management in 2017 for approximately two weeks as well.

Using goats as a means to mitigate unwanted vegetation in vacant property and parkland settings addresses both environmental and community challenges. Invasive species run rampant in our urban and suburban settings, including the beautiful parks therein. Too often the solution is to apply chemical treatments that puts poisons into our environment, with residual effects. Mechanical solutions often fall short due to the topography of our region; our municipalities and land steward capacity simply don't have the capacity to address these vigorous growers. In some cases, invasive vines have blanketed large areas, choking out the native vegetation; in other situations unwanted plants have taken over lots, making neighborhood spaces appear to be blighted rather than a community asset.

Goats are an all-natural solution to these issues. Their ability to eat through vegetation reduces need to spray additional herbicides where they have worked. They also are able to get to hard to reach places that are difficult or impossible for humans and machines. 

Once goats have eaten through a property, the opportunities for that space can be reimagined. Parkland that was once seen as obstructed now carries the potential for new trails or native vegetation restoration. Vacant lots that only seemed to serve to collect trash considered an eyesore and liability can become spaces for neighborhood development.

Applying a goatherd to invasive plant-infested areas in the Pittsburgh region is not an end-all-be-all to address the environmental and community challenges we face with these areas, but it can be a significant piece of the solution.