City Using Goats To Clear Everett’s Newest Park Property

Back in July we told you about goats being used to clean up an overgrown area south of the Fred Meyer store in Everett. While the goats were working at Fred Meyer the city sat down with Tammy Dunakin and her company, Rent-A-Ruminant, LLC and made arrangements to have the goats do some work for the Everett Parks Department. That work is now underway. Here’s an explanation of what’s happening as provided by the city…

A new hillside-clearing crew is making its way to southwest Everett. The City of Everett Parks and Community Services department has contracted with Rent-a-Ruminent to provide vegetarian-clearing services using a herd of goats. Arriving Friday, Sept. 22, the herd of 120 goats will chew their way through 8 acres at City property formerly owned by CEMEX, located north of Phil Johnson Ballfields and east of the Cadman Plant on Sievers Deucy Boulevard. Typically, goats are able to clear an acre in about four days and we expect that the area will be cleared within 32 days. Goats are quiet clearers and should not cause any disruption to the surrounding area.

The benefits of using goats for vegetation clearance are numerous. Goats are an eco-friendly approach to vegetation clearing, and can eat an enormous amount of biomass, which reduces the need for hauling debris after clearing. The goats are natural climbers who enjoy steep terrain and can more easily maneuver the area than clearing equipment. You can learn more about the benefits of goats at Rent-a-Ruminent’s website.

Keep an eye on the City’s Facebook page to catch some highlights of the clearing process and learn more about some of our new goat residents.