Trailgrazers

HIRE

Talk about community service. Last summer, a herd of amiable Cashmere goats were “hired” to maintain the Roaring Fork Valley’s multi-use Rio Grande Trail. “People love them,” says Brett Meredith, of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), which hired goat herder Lani Malmberg through her Colorado-based company, Goats Eat Weeds. Malmberg uses Border Collies and electric fencing to keep her animals confined to areas needing restorative work. They browse weeds, shrubs and noxious plants, providing “weed management, brush control, re-seeding and restoration and erosion mitigation or flood control.” Plans are in the works for RFTA to utilize the goats again this year, though the program is somewhat budget-dependent. Visit GoatsEatWeeds.com to hire the herd for your property or project.