The newest landscapers on Peddocks Island are not what you might expect… they are not quite college students looking to get a sweet tan. Instead, for the past month, Boston Harbor Islands has been home to adorable farm animals (also known for sometimes screaming like humans -remember this?). The Boston Harbor Islands park partners have brought goats to Peddocks, which is owned and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, to help manage vegetation (nothing like this). The four lovable goats have been brought out to the island to remove woody vegetation and poisonous plants growing on and through the historic military batteries near the campground- everyone can agree that camping is rugged enough without worrying about battling poison ivy. The goats are a sustainable resource that provide landscaping services, and, unlike most humans, goats are immune to poison ivy and are able to get into nooks and crannies and scramble up rocky , steep slopes. Goats are opportunistic eaters, meaning they are not picky and will eat whatever they find wherever they find it. They are agile and light on their feet, so they are a perfect fit as Peddocks Island landscapers- their hooves are more gentle than machinery and thus they help preserve the historical military batteries while eliminating thorny and poisonous invasive species. Goats prefer broad-leafed material, so they focus on consuming brush and invading vegetation while leaving grass to flourish. Additionally, goats’ narrow, triangular mouths allow them to crush everything they eat, so any seeds they consume are not viable for fertilization. This helps discourage further growth in the next growth cycle, which means less poison ivy next year. Succinctly put, goats are amazing.

The Boston Harbor Islands national park area is far from the first to utilize these incredible creatures- they have also been guest landscapers at Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and New Jersey, Governors Island in New York Harbor, and at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, to name a few. There is even a local company that rents goats for landscaping golf courses, businesses, and residences. The Boston Harbor Islands had the goats on loan for only a few short weeks, but it seems likely they will be back next spring!