Firefighting goats are back, grazing away flammable grass in Redding

Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight
·3 min read
3

Redding’s favorite four-legged fire protection team is ba-aa-aa-ack.

The Goat Strike Force is eating flammable brush growing in steep areas that are difficult for people to reach, according to city officials.

More than 1,500 goats are “munching away” in Redding this summer, “and winning hearts in the process,” a statement from the Redding Fire Department said. As of July, they cleared more than 80 acres.

As of Aug. 8, goats grazed on 18 of the 24 Redding greenbelts they’ll visit in 2023, Redding Parks Superintendent Christopher Loucks said.

Thus far, they’ve cleared ground at several spots on Buenaventura Boulevard and on the steep hills at the top of Miracle Mile on north Market Street, behind Lake Boulevard, said Redding Communications Manager Katie Hunter.

Goats graze on steep green spaces in Redding. The city hired goat herders to bring their flammable fuel munching animals to clear about 200 acres of vegetation during the summer of 2023.
Goats graze on steep green spaces in Redding. The city hired goat herders to bring their flammable fuel munching animals to clear about 200 acres of vegetation during the summer of 2023.

The goats will have grazed about 200 acres of vegetation by the time grazing wraps up, Loucks said.

Spot the goats before they leave for greener pastures. They should be done in Redding after they clear open spaces near the Eureka Way intersection of Buenaventura Boulevard this week, and Enterprise Park this and next week, Loucks said.

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It takes 300 goats to remove about an acre of vegetation per day, according to a statement issued by the Redding Fire Department.

Goats are a safe way to remove brush, Redding Fire Marshal Craig Wittner said in the statement. There’s no risk they’ll spark a fire the way brush clearing machines can and their efforts reduce the need to spray green areas with herbicides to control brush growth, he said.

Redding's goat map shows areas (purple areas) where the city plans to have goats graze and thin out flammable brush on steep terrain. The goats are part of the city's Wildfire Mitigation Program. Go to tinyurl.com/29wp6zf8 for the latest goat grazing map.
Redding's goat map shows areas (purple areas) where the city plans to have goats graze and thin out flammable brush on steep terrain. The goats are part of the city's Wildfire Mitigation Program. Go to tinyurl.com/29wp6zf8 for the latest goat grazing map.

The goats remove “fuels like grasses, the ones that are easy to ignite. They break the continuity from the ground as they trample the grasses and they remove up to six feet of vegetation in bushes and trees. If a fire starts on the ground, it doesn’t grow with as much intensity or speed, thanks to the goats,” Wittner said.

Fire prevention goats gallivanted throughout Redding since 2019.

Former Redding Mayor Julie Winter took up the charge for the city to hire shepherded goats as an ecologically safe way to reduce fire risk and reduce water use after the Carr Fire devastated west Redding and surrounding communities, Winter said.

Goats graze on steep green spaces in Redding. The city hired goat herders to bring their flammable fuel munching animals to clear about 200 acres of vegetation during the summer of 2023.
Goats graze on steep green spaces in Redding. The city hired goat herders to bring their flammable fuel munching animals to clear about 200 acres of vegetation during the summer of 2023.

In November 2018, Winter spearheaded an amendment to an ordinance that banned farm animals within city limits. The amendment passed, allowing goats to visit homes, businesses and green spaces within city limits for the purpose of reducing flammable brush.

By October, 2019, more than 500 goats were grazing in Redding, Winter said.

Since then, goat gawking has become a Redding pastime, with people posting goat-spotting photos and videos on social media. Community response has been overwhelmingly positive: “Everyone loves the goats,” Hunter said.

It’s OK to look, but don’t pet or feed the goats or the herding dogs, Loucks said. It distracts them from their work, according to the city.

Goat watchers should avoid the electric fencing around the grazing area, Loucks cautioned, and watch that dogs and children don't get close, the city posted on its website.

People can meet the goats and their shepherds when they’re off duty. Redding Electric Utility will host a meet-and-greet on Oct. 6 on the Market Street Promenade in the 1500 block of Market Street in downtown Redding. The event is part of REU’s public power week celebration, Loucks said.

This story resulted from a question to the reader-driven Ask the Record Searchlight, a newsroom effort to answer the community's questions about curious happenings across the North State. Please submit questions you'd like us to tackle to RRSEdit@redding.com using Ask the Record Searchlight in the subject line.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Where to see firefighting goats graze flammable grass in Redding