Golden Valley's City Council is chewing on a set of rules that would clear the way for residents to use goats to mow down buckthorn and other invasive species.
Want to use a goat to clear your yard? Golden Valley is considering it.
A proposed ordinance would allow residents to use goats on their property for up to 30 days at a time.
November 17, 2023 at 12:00PM
"Goats can be a good initial wave of treatment," said Drew Chirpich, the city's water and natural resource specialist. "Goats will eat pretty much anything, including buckthorn."
They can access overgrown woods and steep slopes more easily than most people, and tend to be a little cheaper than human crews, Chirpich said. Goats are also a less-harsh initial treatment than chemical sprays, though buckthorn stumps do have to be chemically treated to prevent the plants from growing back.
Golden Valley residents started asking about using goats to control invasive species after spotting goats munching on buckthorn in Theodore Wirth Park, Chirpich said.
Under the proposed ordinance, which could be passed before the end of 2023, residents, businesses or even the city could host goats for up to 30 days at a stretch, and up to 60 days total in a year — likely by renting goats from one of the invasive-species removal firms in Minnesota.
Golden Valley would still prohibit keeping goats on a property full-time.
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