Hungry Goats Help Protect the Colorado River in Grand Junction

If you have been walking, jogging, or strolling the Riverwalk with your dog in Grand Junction, you may have noticed some wildfire mitigation going on in the area around Blue Heron Boat Ramp near the Redlands Parkway overpass.

Read More: How Deep Is The Colorado River?

The goats are back in Grand Junction to help clear brush, and weeds, and to reduce the risk of wildfires as we approach the summer months on the Western Slope. Keep going to see pictures of these rather photogenic heroes, and to find the city turns to goats rather than landscapers to groom the lands alongside the Colorado River.

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Western Colorado Goats Protect Grand Junction's Riverwalk

The goats are back in Grand Junction along the Colorado River to help keep the Riverwalk looking great and to help us reduce the risk of wildfires during the hot, dry summer months. The city has turned to the goats for help for several years with the herd ranging from 50 to a few hundred who are eager to bring their appetites to help our the city in ways landscapers can not.

Goats VS Landscapers

Landscapers with mowers and weed-whackers have a hard time accessing some of the rocky areas along the Riverwalk and the boat ramps. Clearing the brush away from these areas with landscaping equipment can just spread the seeds of these unwanted plants and weeds and just make the problem worse. The goats are also much safer than using chemicals to kill the plants that could seep into the river.

The hungry goats eat up the thorny Russian Olive Trees, weeds, and other plants, and their digestion process kills the seeds making sure they don't spread.

Remember To Keep Your Dog On A Leash

Check out the photos in the gallery below, and you'll see there can be quite a few of them out working in certain areas. Please be sure to keep all pets on a leash if you are enjoying the Riverwalk near the Redlands Parkway overpass.