Seven years ago, the City of Lethbridge put pen to paper with the GOAT of lawnmowing — actual goats.
The animals have spent every summer since then targeting leafy spurge, a noxious weed in Lethbridge River Valley. The city says it took several years to see significant results, but now the project is proving its success.
“Spurge has been decreased by almost 90 per cent in (Indian Battle Park), between here and Botterill (park). So, our night camp is near Botterill and there it’s down 98 per cent, there’s very little coming up in the area,” said Jackie Cardinal, the parks natural resource coordinator.
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She says leafy spurge is a serious problem that had become overgrown before the goats were enlisted.
“It just kind of takes over everything. It takes up space for the native plants, for the more beneficial vegetation in the river valley,” Cardinal said
“So, if we can get rid of the weeds, we give the native species more real estate to set seed and take off.”
To ensure the goats only eat what the city wants, the picky eaters were trained to eat the spurge.
“We hold the goats on that, get them used to the taste. It’s kind of like kids with broccoli — if you give it to them enough, eventually they’ll eat it,” said Trent Cahoon, a goatherd working on the project.
He says it’s nice to see the city taking this approach as opposed to one dominated by herbicides.
“Well, I’m loving it. I’ve got a background in permaculture, so I like all things green,” he said. “So, if I’m a part of making all things green and helping out the city, it’s way better than chemical gunk.”
Other parks in the city that are benefitting from the goats are ranging between 25 and 50-per cent decreases in leafy spurge populations, depending on how long the animals have been grazing in each respective area.
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