Goats return to Barker-Stewart Island

A herd of about 40 goats is hard at work on Barker-Stewart Island. These “restoration goats” are part of a unique effort to combat invasive plant species without spraying chemicals or bringing heavy machinery into the park. 

The goats are brought in by Liberation Farmers from Almond, Wisconsin. They’re tasked with clearing out a wide range of non-native species like buckthorn, honeysuckle, tansy, and wild parsnip. 

This is the fifth year goats have been brought in to manage invasive species in the park. City Forester John Kahon says the goats will “browse,” not graze. This means they eat leaves and branches above ground level. He says it’s a surprisingly effective method of invasive plant control.

“The goal of having them out there is to actually reduce or remove our invasives out there and hopefully let some of our native wildflowers come back to the island,” Kahon said.

The browsing happens in two phases: once just after the Fourth of July and again in late summer. This type of double-browsing has proven much more effective long-term than a once-over.

Kahon said this method forces the invasive plants to use up their energy replacing leaves after each browsing period. This makes them easier to kill off later on.

The goats are rotated through fenced sections of the island to ensure even coverage.

“We keep them out in those specific pens so they stay longer and eat further and further into the grounds,” Kahon said. “So the first couple years we did it in three different paddocks out there to concentrate. These last two years, because we’re actually reducing the amount of our invasives, we’re actually doing the island kind of split in half.”

Visitors are welcome to watch the goats at work, but should leave dogs at home and be wary of the electric fences set up to contain the goats. 

While there have been events where residents could meet the goats and talk with the farmers, Kahon says none are planned for this year because the farmers, and their goats, are hard at work.

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