Summers in Sacramento are hot, dry and potentially dangerous when temperatures spike in peak fire season. There are hundreds of acres of undeveloped or protected land, many in our Regional Parks, that are lush with greenery yet turns dry and brittle in the summer months. Such vegetation can be a costly and deadly fire hazard.
Controlled burns and landscape maintenance are a few ways to decrease the amount of tinder a fire can eat up, but
Sacramento County Regional Parks uses a different method – grazing goats.
“We are pleased to have the goats back in our parkways, helping us efficiently and effectively control high burn hazard locations,” said Jeff Leatherman, Director of Regional Parks. “Not only are they helping to keep our community safe through fire abatement, they are green and saving our residents money.”
Goats are grazers - which means they are just as happy to eat weeds and brush as they are grass, making them ideal for vegetation management along thickly brushed areas.
At any given time, there are between 1,200-1,300 goats grazing at various locations along the
American River Parkway and Dry Creek Parkway. By the end of July, the goats will have grazed around 175 acres in Sacramento County.
