City deploying herd of goats in surge on spurge

By Medicine Hat News on June 23, 2020.

Robert Finck, of Creekside Goats in Magrath, moves a herd along a pathway above the river valley at Cottonwood Park in Lethbridge as part of a plan in that city to control vegetation. A similar herd will be deployed at Police Point Park in Medicine Hat in an effort to fight invasive weeds--ALBERTA NEWSPAPER GROUP PHOTO IAN MARTENS

A herd of goats will graze Police Point Park later this month in an effort to control invasive weeds at the city’s natural reserve, it was announced Monday.

Starting Friday, about 150 of the animals will be deployed in an effort to “browse” out leafy spurge, a noxious weed that is common in southern Alberta, the parks department stated.

“Several cities in Alberta have had successful weed control using the target browsing technique,” Keziah Lesko-Gosslin, a parks technician stated in a release. “This is a preventative measure which will help stop the weed from spreading further, while also improving soil conditions and allowing native vegetation to thrive.”

Parks staff have attempted to tackle the problem in the past, including with the use of pesticide, but the goats are better able to root out the plant in the rough terrain and underbrush.

Spraying for the weeds is also restricted in areas near the South Saskatchewan River.

“Leafy spurge spreads through its seeds and extensive underground stems, and can also be spread through waterways via seed dispersal,” said Lesko-Gosselin. “Goats can be trained to eat a particular plant species, and in this case, they are able to eat aboveground parts of the weed while their digestive tracks destroy the seeds.”

The parks department says all railways in the parks will remain open for the two-week period, but is asking the public to avoid disturbing the animals. Police point is an on-leash area in terms of dogs.