Goats are on the loose in Hanna Park to help clear vegetation for an environmental project with the city

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – You have to see this!

You have to see it! A team of about 55 goats is providing extra hooves to permanently remove nuisance vegetation in Hanna Park. It is part of a program with the City of Jacksonville and Goats on the Go Jacksonville Northwest.

Nikki Gunter, owner of Goats on the Go, said the project will be completed in two phases.

“What the goats are doing here right now is a phase one and phase two demonstration. So this is a demonstration on about a 2.5 to 3.5 acre area, and we essentially started moving them out to different paddocks no bigger than about 4.5 acres or more on August 12th,” Gunter said.

Victoria Albright is the park manager of Hanna Park. She said the idea to partner with Goats on the Go was part of finding a creative solution since controlled burns could not be conducted in the area because the park is so close to the Marine base and residential homes.

“The goats have been working hard. We’re seeing good progress in the areas where they’ve been able to make the nuisance vegetation in the area more visible. So we’re really excited about it. They’re going to do a kind of pilot project on six acres. We’ll evaluate the progress of the project and then go from there,” Albright said.

The goats are also adept at getting to difficult places that are inaccessible to heavy machinery.

Albright said the first six acres cost $4,500.

“In the long run, I would say it’s less expensive,” Albright said. “While we use standard turf equipment and maintenance techniques in the more accessible areas of the park, given the size of the land we have here and the density of the vegetation, I think this is a really good solution.”

Phases one and two will last until September and it is hoped that the project will continue for about a year.

Gunter said this opportunity helps educate the community and also makes them aware of the different ways people can help the environment.

“People can see that we’re part of this sustainability and land management effort. There are a lot of problem areas here in Jacksonville that some people don’t really want to go into because it might be too expensive for them. Well, now you have a solution for that. You call us. We come, prepare and get the herd cleared out of the area,” Gunter said.