By MARK A. YORK
For the Express
Often, the best methods are the oldest, being the most low-tech and environmentally friendly. In the case of an invasion of noxious weeds such as knapweed and leafy spurge, growing along 18 miles of the Wood River Trail bike path, the alternative to spraying chemical herbicides is a traveling herd of hungry goats in the employ of the Blaine County Recreation District.
Last Thursday, 700 goats grazed and roamed on both sides of the bike path along Buttercup Road, north of Hailey across from Red Devil Drive. The young Peruvian goat-herder motioned for the herd dog to head off goats that roamed south over ground already grazed. The dog stood firm and the goats responded, moving north en masse at a good clip. The herders followed. One stood guard along the boundary of adjacent homes to keep the herd on the byway.
The herder shook his head and said, "No Ingles." He printed his name in a notebook—Ruben Yems Gallardo Ricaldi—and when asked, responded that he was from Junin, Peru. With the goats under control, his partner joined him, sporting a wide smile highlighted by a silver cap on a front tooth embedded with a star. His name, he wrote, was Cilfor Alipio Machacuay Arroyo. They work for Prescriptive Livestock Services of Grangeville, Idaho, owners of the goat herd.
The targeted grazing pilot program is the result of a newly formed partnership between the Blaine County Recreation District and the Pesticide Action Network of Blaine County, a citizens group advocating for alternatives to chemical pesticides. The Recreation District manages the bike path from Bellevue to Ketchum.
"Using goats for weed management as an alternative to pesticides and herbicides is an example of our commitment to sustainability and the health of our community," said Jim Keating, the Recreation District's executive director, in a press statement. "We are excited about this pilot project and its potential to be successful."
Goats are known to eat just about anything, but they are particularly suited for this task since they prefer high-protein species like knapweed over desirable plants like grasses—and they don't mind long days in the sun. Their digestive tracts also break down more than 95 percent of the knapweed seeds they eat, preventing those seeds from taking root at a later date.
So far, their work seems to be effective. By Monday, the herd had made its way north to an area near the Valley Club. In the goats' wake, swaths of dry ground were cleared of noxious knapweed but the grasses and sagebrush were largely left intact.
According to Pesticide Action Network, chemical applications aren't a permanent fix for weeds because they don't address the reasons that weeds thrive. In addition, chemical pesticides and herbicides kill beneficial bugs, fungi and bacteria in the soil that keep desirable plants healthy and prevent weeds.
The goats are the result of a gift to Blaine County by Brian Ross and Susan Reinstein, founders of this coalition of local citizens.
"This is a huge step forward in showing the entire community and everyone who visits our valley that there are safer ways to control weeds," said Kathryn Goldman, campaign director for Pesticide Action Network of Blaine County.
"It's going well," said Janelle Conners, Recreation District trails assistant. "The goats have been very popular with the public. Every evening there have been 30 people and kids watching the goats. Feedback has been very positive. And the goats are eating the weeds."
It's a three-year project. Conners said the district would know more about the success of the program at the end of that period.
For information on goat locations at any given time, call the Recreation District at 578-5453 or visit www.bcrd.org.
Goat herder Ruben Yems Gallardo Ricaldi takes a break last week as the herd hunts down unwanted knapweed north of Hailey. Photo by David N. Seelig
