Grazing goats return to Calgary this month
A herd of goats will once again be tasked with weed control in Calgary this month.
About 800 goats will graze at Rubbing Stone Hill Natural Parkland Zone, a 58-hectare area within Nose Hill Park, for two weeks starting Sept. 4.
Andrew Phelps, a parks ecologist with the City of Calgary, says the heard will help reduce the fire fuel load on the northeast side of the park, and will also open up new spaces for grasses and wildflowers by eating invasive weeds and shrubs.
"It's kind of a smorgasbord this year," he said.
"We will be targeting some of our invasive weeds like our Canada thistle, knotting thistle, south thistle, those type of invasives, and then the goats will also be going after our woody invasives."
The City of Calgary has used goats as an environmentally-friendly response to weed control since 2016, and first at Nose Hill Park in 2022, with great success, according to Phelps.
"The reason we have selected this area is because there is a high concentration or abundance of our native grasses here," he said.
"Rough fescue is primarily the one that we're interested in, it has been dwindling across the Great Plains, and Alberta as a whole, and up here in the Rubbing Stone we have the largest intact piece of rough fescue plant community, so there's a large conservation initiative to make sure that we keep that intact and healthy."
According to the city's website, Rubbing Stone Hill Natural Parkland was historically roamed by herbivores like bison and elk, which helped maintain the ecosystem.
"With the reduction of these herbivores, the park has seen an overgrowth of vegetation, as well as shrub and tree encroachment into the grassland; threatening the health of this ecosystem," states the city's website.
Jeannette Hall, operator of Bad Plant Management and Reclamation, owns goats that eat about three and a half kilograms a day.
She's trained in vegetation sciences and understands the biomass and the special bio mechanisms of targeting the weeds.
"A ton of thinking and planning goes into what we're actually doing, because we are just mimicking how bison would have worked on these sites," she said.
"Can you imagine millions of pounds and feet of bison trampling over this hill as they graze it right down? But they leave, that's the important thing is that they leave. So the more animals, the better, the shorter the better, that's the trick to this."
The goats will be allowed to wander in the park and graze, helping manage vegetation and promote biodiversity.
The gaggle of goats will be monitored and managed 24/7 by a professional shepherd and herding dogs.
To ensure the safety of the herd and the public, physical interaction between the animals and the public isn't allowed.
However, there will be program ambassadors on site on several days to chat with members of the public about the targeted grazing program.
For more information on what days and times they'll be on site, you can visit the City of Calgary's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump is safe after Secret Service opened fire at suspected person with firearm near his golf club
Donald Trump's campaign says he is safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida.
B.C. to open 'highly secure' involuntary care facilities
B.C. will be opening “highly secure facilities” for people with addiction and mental health issues in the province, officials said Sunday.
They came from Jamaica for work, now they're homeless and out thousands of dollars in lost wages
Abuse of Canada’s temporary foreign worker program has left a group of carpenters from Jamaica 'destitute' after an Ottawa company refused to pay them for nearly half a year of work.
Montreal bars, restaurants react to Quebec bill to regulate merchant tipping requests
Quebec tabled a bill on Thursday that would regulate how merchants determine suggested tips, forcing businesses to calculate them based on the price before tax. Restaurant staff and management are divided on the policy.
TIFF audience prizes for 'Life of Chuck,' Hip doc; Rankin among Canadian winners
'The Life of Chuck,' an offbeat film by writer-director Mike Flanagan, wins the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Queen Victoria's favourite Tuscan villa for sale for more than US$55 million
Once a favoured holiday destination for Queen Victoria, and reputedly described in one of the greatest works of Italian literature, the Villa Palmieri is steeped in history and could now be yours – if you have more than €50 million (US$55 million) lying around.
Air Canada deal avoids shutdown, brings relief to passengers and business groups
Travellers, business groups and politicians expressed fervent relief on Sunday after Air Canada and the union representing thousands of its pilots negotiated a new labour deal and averted a disruptive, countrywide shutdown.
Vance doesn't back away from false claims about migrants in Ohio even amid threats to the community
Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance did not back away on Sunday from the false claims he and Donald Trump have been making that Haitians in an Ohio community are abducting and eating pets, even as the state's GOP governor and other officials insist there is no evidence of such behavior.
What are your rights as a neighbour in Canada?
If you have beef with your neighbour and you feel it's gone too far, what should you do? A personal injury lawyer has some advice.