Four-legged crew clears brush

The Starlight Heights Association, a homeowners organization located near the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club, has just completed an abatement technique that is environmentally friendly, efficient and fun to watch.

For the past few days, goats, lots of goats, covered the hillside just above the eighth fairway at the country club, devouring leaves and trees while contained within their snug temporary gated arena.

The idea for using goats instead of an army of weed whackers came from an association member who worked in downtown Los Angeles, said Mary Reichley, Starlight Heights’ president.

The association member had seen George Gonzales, owner of Ranchito Tivo Boer Goats, as his goats cleared the Bunker Hill and freeway areas.

Reichley contacted Gonzales and soon about 100 goats arrived and got started on the four-acre area that needed to be cleared.

“They were cute to watch. Some would stand on their hind legs to reach everything,” Reichley said.

“It’s a great idea,” Larry Garcia, golf course superintendent said. “It is environmentally friendly and quiet.”

Garcia opened the area for Gonzales to enter with his goats and fencing.

Gonzales placed an electric fence around the area the goats would be eating to protect them from coyotes. They were released and began clearing the hillside.

“Two hundred goats clear about an acre a day,” Gonzales said. “People like [this method] because it is easy and good for the environment.”

“I hadn’t heard of this method being used [here],” said Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Chris Rash, of Station 82. “I had heard of it being done on Catalina [Island].”

He added the goats are a good idea for clearing brush. “They eat the flashy fuels and there shouldn’t be a problem with run off because they leave the root system,” Rash said.

The goats made quick work of the dry vegetation.

“They were fast. The four acres were cleared in less than a week,” Reichley said. “At first we were a little nervous they would disturb the neighbors, but they were so quiet.”

The goats did not go unnoticed by other wildlife.

“We had coyotes, about 30 or more, come down from the mountain [Sunday night],” Reichley said. “But [the goat herder] just blew a horn and the coyotes high-tailed it up the mountain.”

The goats obeyed Gonzales’ signals. At his whistle, they all immediately look up as if waiting for their next instructions. He said the goat method has become a popular and cheaper way of clearing brush. Gonzales said Caltrans calculated that goats could be used at a third of the cost of employees clearing the same area.

The goats left the hillside on Monday after a little less than a week of clearing.

Reichley said the experiment was a success and they plan on using goats in the future.

“We have two more areas to clear,” she said.