Starting Saturday, the City of Lexington will employ a team of experts to remove invasive plants on the city’s west side: about 15 goats from Henry County. Paula Singer is the project coordinator.
“There is an overgrowth of bush honeysuckle, which is an invasive plant, along the creek banks, the stream banks of Vaughn’s Branch. This is a Wolf Run tributary.”
Singer sais the overgrowth prevents air and sunlight from reaching the stream banks and is crowding out native plants, which she said are much better water filters. She said a water quality grant paid more than three-quarters of the 16-thousand rental fee – and she knows a bit about the feeding habit of goats.
“Goats are what's called browsers. So unlike cattle and horses that are grazers and they like to eat what is on the ground, goats actually prefer what is above the ground.”
Singer said the goats which will be surrounded by an electric fence and will return this fall and next spring to complete the job. Five years ago, another team of goats cleared a section of Idle Hour Park.
** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
