Edmonton city councilor wants to bring back goats to urban parks for weed control

An Edmonton city councillor is hoping goats will be returning to some Edmonton urban parks, as a long-term weed control solution.

The City of Edmonton had a GoatWorks Pilot Project from 2017 to 2019. The goats were used as a tool to manage noxious weed infestations in Rundle Park. Janz hopes to see an expansion of the project if they bring it back. “I think this is an ecological solution that will save us time and money. That won’t blow our carbon budget on gas-guzzling equipment, it’s a win, win, win,” he says.

“When we look at the top part of the landscape when we say ‘lets get rid of the weeds’ with herbicide or mowing, we’re just focused on that and it’s a year over year cost that builds up over time. When we use goats as a method of weed control what we are looking at is the soil and the cause of the problem, and we are using the goats as a tool to slowly reduce the weeds and let the native plants come back and compete,” said Jeannette Hall with BAAH’D Plant Management and Reclamation.

Hall has multiple goat projects across Alberta, including in Fort Saskatchewan. She says the goal is to reduce the need to be grazing on those sites as much as possible.

“We want to see a natural, healthy functioning system where we can come back maybe every 3 years to reduce the fire-loader, to reduce the thick thatch because sometimes you get too thick of a thatch and the grass can’t get through and the weeds take over,” says Hall.

The goats in Fort Saskatchewan cover up to 96 hectares and will treat affected areas up to three times over the summer and fall, according to the City of Fort Saskatchewan.

“When we look at the top part of the landscape when we say ‘lets get rid of the weeds’ with herbicide or mowing, we’re just focused on that and it’s a year over year cost that builds up over time. When we use goats as a method of weed control what we are looking at is the soil and the cause of the problem, and we use the goats as a tool to slowly reduce those weeds and help the native plants come back and compete,” says Hall.

Whenever possible, we must eliminate toxic poisons such as cosmetic pesticides and look to nature-based solutions.

It's time to bring back the goats!

???? ???? ???? ???? ???? – A #yeg thread ????https://t.co/IG0GCxXiNZ

— Michael Janz (@michaeljanz) August 3, 2022

Even if the city brings in a few herds of goats, Janz believes it won’t create job loss in the city, because of the urban sprawl.

“We had just grown so far that our footprint is massive and with that comes extra grass and extra boulevards and extra parks and more places to maintain. We have more than enough mowing, and more than enough work to go around, having the goats as a supplement is a great alternative and saves us money on equipment and maintenance, I don’t anticipate it causing any job losses, I see it as a way of enhancing and supplementing services, and freeing up paid professionals and experts who can do real work instead of picking weeds that goats could be consuming,” says Janz.

Janz also wants to see a ban on cosmetic pesticides in Edmonton. On Monday, August 8th, the city’s Community and Public Services Committee will be discussing a report outlining the steps towards the elimination of cosmetic pesticide use on public and private property by 2023.