Bayside officials employ a herd of more than 50 goats to help remove unwanted vegetation
The village of Bayside has employed an unusual group of landscapers to remove unwanted grass and vegetation this summer.
A herd of more than 50 goats will clear out about 3.5 acres of unwanted grass and other vegetation near the North Shore Fire Department on Brown Deer Road.
The goats arrived last month and will graze away any unwanted vegetation while avoiding chemical use. The goats are within a fenced area and will take several weeks to finish grazing on the 3.5 acres. The Grazing Goats Wisconsin herd will cost the village about $3,500, of which the village hopes to get $2,000 from insurance grant funds to cover part of the cost.
"They've been very, very popular," said Village Manager Andy Pederson. "A lot of people want to see them, and we completely understand. That's probably one of the unforeseen byproducts of this."
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Because of the elevations and amount of grass and vegetation, mowers are not a safe or cost-effective option for the area. Clearance of the area is essential to maintain the flow of stormwater and clear significant vegetation build up in the area to ensure stormwater flow.
Village officials are asking residents not to park on village streets or in the North Shore Fire Department parking lot to view the goats. The best viewing area is on the sidewalk on Brown Deer Road just east of the railroad tracks.
At the end of summer, village officials plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the goat program to see whether they want to bring them back next summer, Pedersen said. "But so far it's gone extremely well."
The goats are expected to graze in Bayside for about another two to three weeks, depending on how quickly they eat the grass and vegetation, Pederson added.
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Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bayside uses Grazing Goats Wisconsin to remove grass and vegetation
