The goats are going back to work.
Thanks to a $9,500 grant from the Allegheny County Conservation District, Allegheny GoatScape’s herd will remove — as in “eat” — invasive species from public wooded land in the Perry Hilltop neighborhood.
“We are so excited to receive this gift from ACCD,” said Allegheny GoatScape Executive Director Gavin Deming. “Our goats will be able to complement work that has already been done to improve this natural space in the North Side.”
In recent years, governments like the City of Pittsburgh have turned to goats to deal with invasive plants.
“By clearing unwanted vegetation with goats rather than using invasive management products like herbicides, communities gain a number of benefits,” Allegheny GoatScape’s website says, “Goats can traverse terrain that is difficult or impossible for people and machinery. They work long hours, and the only fuel they require is the plants they’ll eat.”
One of the plants they are particularly fond of is poison ivy.
Allegheny GoatScape is a nonprofit based in Homestead.
This grant will enable Allegheny Goatscape to work with partners such as Allegheny Cleanways to remove years of illegal dumping, according to a press release. Additionally, there are potential opportunities for a second phase of trail improvements and tree plantings.
