In July, three herds of goats will become the city’s newest landscapers. While the unique landscaping system will be returning to continue the work started last summer at the greenspace on West Street, it will also be expanding to the George Wright Golf Course.
Using goats turns out to be a proven effective method of landscaping. A single herd can eat through one-third of an acre of shrubbery in one week. They consume plants that are poisonous to people, but aren’t harmful to goats. This past summer, goats successfully opened up spaces in Hyde Park and at Peddocks Island.
As reported by Steve Annear of The Boston Globe, the first group of four goats will begin clearing overgrown brush and plants on July 6 at the West Street site. Two weeks later, the other two groups with eight goats total will be stationed in areas at the golf course overrun by weeds and poison ivy. On July 31, the first group will move to join work at the golf course.
Ryan Woods, spokesman from the Parks and Recreation Department, said, “Bringing in the goats will let us open those areas up, and we won’t have the noise from heavy machinery. They eat these plants and remove all of the harmful oils and seeds and produce a clean and natural fertilizer to the landscape.”
The goats have been employed by officials for $11,000.
