LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At Iroquois Park, a new group of visitors is helping with critical land management work in Summit Field.
There's a small herd of goats working in the field as part of a study with Kentucky State University (KSU) and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy (OPC).
Summit Field is a unique prairie ecosystem that Olmsted officials said is under threat from invasive species.
KSU and OPC partnered for an experiment to study the best and most effective ways to manage the land and clear out the undesirable plant life.
"The goal here is to create a decision guide for folks doing land management to know which ones have different levels of effectiveness," KSU's Jody Thompson said.
The experiment will test three total options: hand removal, forestry mulchers and other machinery, and the goats.
Farmer David Neville from Capstone Farms is convinced his animals can get the job done.
"Oh I guarantee there isn't a doubt in my mind," he said. "Everybody loves a goat, everybody loves a goat."
The plants getting in the way of Summit Field's prairie ecosystem are typically invasive, woody species like sweet gum.
Neville said the woody brush makes a good diet for the goats.
"Everybody thinks goats eat everything, but that couldn't be further from the truth," he said.
Liz Winlock, with the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, said letting the goats eat the brush can also be more sustainable than other methods of removal. Plus, the goats are mostly independent.
"People power is sometimes not as much as we'd like, and so the goats are a really great support system for that. They don't mind the heat, they don't mind the briars," Winlock said.
Winlock asked that if people do happen upon the goats, that they treat them with respect. Don't try to feed them or touch them.
The experiment is being conducts in phases, so the goats themselves won't be in the park for much longer. Soon, researchers will move on to the next part of the project.
They plan to have everything complete by spring 2024.
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