Baby goat at Nose Hill Park. Photo by William L. Baliko
Over eight hundred specially bred Alberta goats have taken to the Nose Hill slopes yesterday, where they will be herded to graze on targeted areas in an effort to rebalance the ecosystem.
These goats are helping to graze down the woody shrubs, which have been taking over and choking out the prairie grasses. Too much or too little of either is harmful to the environment. The goats will graze a 58-hectare area in the Rubbing Stone Hill Natural Parkland Zone over the next couple of weeks.
Jeannette Hall, owner, operator, and shepherd of Bad Plant Management and Reclamation, shares how important it is for park visitors to keep their distance from the goats and the electric fence:
Hall and her team include more than just her; there are also herding dogs and fierce guard dogs that help keep predators, such as coyotes, away from the herd.
800 goats mowing down the weeds on Nose Hill Park. Photo by William L. Baliko
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