This Sierra Nevada Foothills Town Will Hire Goats to Prevent Future Fire Disasters

Nevada City (yes, it’s in California) hopes a novel approach to wildfire prevention will make it safer as the new fire season approaches. According to a story in The Guardian, they started a crowdfunding effort to recruit a herd of hungry goats to eat up potentially hazardous flora.

“In an effort to cut down a 450-acre greenbelt, town officials are appealing for $30,000 to acquire the goats. According to the goat fund me page, it can cost up to $1,000 an acre for such specialist grazing, as about 200 goats are able to finish off an acre a day.

“The city council expects the goats to act as the first wave in an assault on the vegetation, with humans following in their hoofsteps to clear away larger foliage such as tree limbs.

“’That’s a lot of acreage but we’re breaking it down into bite sizes and prioritizing where the risk is greatest,’ wrote Reinette Senum, Nevada City’s vice-mayor, on the page.”

You can read more about their progressive preventative efforts here.