This photo is from Half Moon Bay, California.
The small city of Half Moon Bay has authorized use of goats to clear out overgrown areas of public land. Of course they wanted an LGD to help out. This LGD may be an Akbash. Here's the article:
There was a distinct crunch as a collective of goats and sheep began to graze across what was once the historic Ocean Shore Railroad right of way. The stretch of land was sectioned off into fenced quadrants. With a touch of fanfare, the goats were ushered into the paddock and given license to lunch.
The hooved weed whackers were part of a land management initiative that aimed to clear invasive plants from the area situated at Poplar Street and Railroad Avenue in Half Moon Bay.
“What you’re seeing here is a land management approach that’s as old as fire,” said Andrée Soares, owner of Star Creek Land Stewards.
“We have about 460 head. It’s a mix herd of goats and sheep,” she continued. “They are here for probably about seven to 10 days to graze the right of way for Coastside Land Trust.”
The herd has spent most of the summer munching its way along the coast. Previously, the goats had been grazing the landfill south of Poplar Street before moving to Railroad Avenue. Before that, the herd had been grazing in Pescadero.
“We have about five different herds grazing in about five different locations now,” said Soares. “Different agencies are using grazing more frequently to reduce vegetation for fire prevention.”
Although the foggy coastal climate puts the Coastside at relatively low risk for wildfires, there is a significant problem with invasive plants taking root. The goats and sheep consume the foreign vegetation, making way for natural plants to grow.
“The plants you see out here are not native to this area,” said Jo Chamberlain, executive director of Coastside Land Trust. “There is a native seed bed under there and we need to somehow get the invasive plants to stop reproducing,”
The goats and sheep tag team on this cleanup task. The goats prefer to browse or eat the low-hanging leaves on the trees, whereas the sheep primarily graze from the ground cover. Both approaches yield significant benefits.
“The invasive plants are not accustomed to being grazed,” Chamberlain said. “Whereas our native plants are accustomed to being grazed and browsed.”
The approach is a natural alternative to other methods, including mowing, hand crews, powered weed eaters, and chemicals.
“When places like this are mowed down to the dirt, the dirt just flies everywhere,” said Chamberlain. “Anytime you disturb the soil like that, all those nasty plants you don’t want actually grow there. It’s counter to restoring the area.”
As an added benefit, organic matter is added to the soil, fertilizing it.
“As the goats and sheep graze, they are pushing the organic matter into the soil with their hooves,” said Chamberlain. “That’s very beneficial.”
The herd will only be on the job for a few more weeks. In September, it will return home to Los Baños and prepare for the birth of the lambs and kids.
“Most of these animals out here are pregnant right now,” said Soares. “As part of our breeding program, we introduced the billy goats and the rams into the herds in about May, so we expect to have babies in October, November.”
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