Munch bunch: Goats lend their talents to wildfire prevention
Many variations of Smokey Bear through the years declared: “Only you can prevent forest fires.”
More than 300 goats in Nevada are responding: “We’ve got this!”
NV Energy and the Nevada Division of Forestry have partnered to reduce the risk of wildfire in Carson City in the Clear Creek watershed through targeted goat grazing, according to a news release.
The goats from High Desert Graziers in Smith Valley are grazing on more than 100 acres of private property off U.S. Highway 50 through September and October in an extreme wildfire risk area.
Cheatgrass, a nonnative grass introduced from Asia, is easily ignited and can carry fire into rangelands and forests, contributing to rapid spread of wildfires. The goats graze on that, as well as native grasses and shrubs, including sagebrush, bitterbrush and manzanita.
“Targeted grazing is an ecologically beneficial treatment on the landscape to reduce the impacts of wildfires and prevent the loss of homes and other critical infrastructure,” Anna Higgins, a forester with Nevada Division of Forestry, said in the release.
“This is just one of the many wildfire mitigation efforts that NV Energy is using across its service territory to prevent wildfires, and is part of NV Energy’s overall Natural Disaster Protection Plan,” Mark Regan, wildfire mitigation specialist for NV Energy, said in the release.
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter.