Some US Cities Use Sheep, Goats to Control Plant Growth
2024-10-15
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1Some American communities and universities have been experimenting with sheep and goats to keep plant growth under control.
2Along the Cumberland River near Nashville, Tennessee, visitors on boats watch the large buildings of the city in the distance.
3But they also can see something few expected: hundreds of sheep eating grass, or grazing, along the river.
4Zach Richardson oversees the sheep. His business is called Nashville Chew Crew.
5Richardson said sometimes the boats will go out of their way to let passengers get a closer look at his sheep.
6The group of sheep can be seen grazing a few hundred meters away from places where many people live and work.
7The joy people get from watching sheep eat is partly why the creatures are becoming popular workers in some urban areas.
8"Everybody that comes out here and experiences the sheep, they enjoy it more than they would someone...with a leaf blower or a weed eater," Richardson said.
9Using sheep to control plants is not a new method.
10But more American communities are choosing sheep to deal with problems such as invasive species, wildfire risks, native plant protection, and to keep historic places in good condition.
11In 2017, Nashville's parks department paid for the Chew Crew to control unwanted plant growth at Fort Negley.
12The Union Army built the fort during the U.S. Civil War.
13Unwanted plants, or weeds, were growing between and along its stones.
14Tools like lawnmowers could easily damage the stones.
15Sheep now graze in an area of about 61 hectares of city property yearly, including in the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
16Jim Hester is assistant director of Metro Nashville Parks.
17Speaking about the sheep, he said, "It is a more environmentally sustainable way to care for the greenspace and oftentimes is cheaper than doing it with handheld equipment and staff."
18Dogs watch over the Chew Crew's sheep.
19The dogs spend their whole lives with the sheep and keep visitors and animals from getting too close.
20The group of sheep, or flock, is made up of hair sheep, a kind of animal that naturally releases its hair fibers and is often used for meat.
21Santa Barbara, California, has been using sheep for about seven years to protect land buffers that can slow or stop the spread of wildfires.
22"The community loves the grazers and it's kind of a great way of community engagement," said Monique O'Conner, open space planner for the city's parks and recreation.
23The grazed areas can change how fire moves, said Mark vonTillow, the wildland specialist for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
24VonTillow said that, if a fire hits a grazed area, "The fire behavior reacts drastically and drops to the ground."
25He added, "That gives firefighters a chance to attack the fire."
26Some universities have tried using goats and sheep on their properties.
27In 2010, weeds were overtaking an area at the University of Georgia that was not used by students or staff.
28The weeds were pushing out native plants, said Kevin Kirsche, the school's director of sustainability.
29Rather than using chemicals or mowers, Kirsche said the university hired Jennif Chandler to send in a herd of goats.
30"Bringing the goats to the site was an alternative means of removing invasive plants in a way that was nontoxic to the environment and friendly to people," Kirsche said.
31At the time, Richardson, the owner of Chew Crew, was a student at the University of Georgia studying landscape architecture.
32He got the idea to create his own goat grazing business.
33The goats became the most popular four-legged creatures on campus, he said.
34Richardson, who moved his company to Nashville after finishing his studies, now prefers sheep over goats.
35Sheep have closer group ties and are not as likely as goats to climb and explore.
36"I'll never own another goat," he admitted.
37"It's like trying to fence in water."
38But sheep are not an answer for all cities and their lands, O'Conner said.
39"We want to educate the public on why we're choosing to graze where we're grazing," she added.
40Hundreds of sheep can affect the environment by spreading seeds.
41The city of Santa Barbara does environmental studies before bringing in grazers since the process can also affect birds.
42"Throwing like 500 sheep into an area is a much larger impact on the land and those soils than our native herbivores would have," O'Conner said.
43I'm Ashley Thompson.
44And I'm John Russell.
1Some American communities and universities have been experimenting with sheep and goats to keep plant growth under control. 2Along the Cumberland River near Nashville, Tennessee, visitors on boats watch the large buildings of the city in the distance. But they also can see something few expected: hundreds of sheep eating grass, or grazing, along the river. 3Sheep to remove unwanted plants 4Zach Richardson oversees the sheep. His business is called Nashville Chew Crew. Richardson said sometimes the boats will go out of their way to let passengers get a closer look at his sheep. The group of sheep can be seen grazing a few hundred meters away from places where many people live and work. 5The joy people get from watching sheep eat is partly why the creatures are becoming popular workers in some urban areas. 6"Everybody that comes out here and experiences the sheep, they enjoy it more than they would someone...with a leaf blower or a weed eater," Richardson said. 7Using sheep to control plants is not a new method. But more American communities are choosing sheep to deal with problems such as invasive species, wildfire risks, native plant protection, and to keep historic places in good condition. 8In 2017, Nashville's parks department paid for the Chew Crew to control unwanted plant growth at Fort Negley. The Union Army built the fort during the U.S. Civil War. Unwanted plants, or weeds, were growing between and along its stones. Tools like lawnmowers could easily damage the stones. 9Sheep now graze in an area of about 61 hectares of city property yearly, including in the historic Nashville City Cemetery. 10Jim Hester is assistant director of Metro Nashville Parks. Speaking about the sheep, he said, "It is a more environmentally sustainable way to care for the greenspace and oftentimes is cheaper than doing it with handheld equipment and staff." 11Dogs watch over the Chew Crew's sheep. The dogs spend their whole lives with the sheep and keep visitors and animals from getting too close. The group of sheep, or flock, is made up of hair sheep, a kind of animal that naturally releases its hair fibers and is often used for meat. 12Santa Barbara fire protection 13Santa Barbara, California, has been using sheep for about seven years to protect land buffers that can slow or stop the spread of wildfires. 14"The community loves the grazers and it's kind of a great way of community engagement," said Monique O'Conner, open space planner for the city's parks and recreation. 15The grazed areas can change how fire moves, said Mark vonTillow, the wildland specialist for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. 16VonTillow said that, if a fire hits a grazed area, "The fire behavior reacts drastically and drops to the ground." He added, "That gives firefighters a chance to attack the fire." 17Some universities have tried using goats and sheep on their properties. In 2010, weeds were overtaking an area at the University of Georgia that was not used by students or staff. The weeds were pushing out native plants, said Kevin Kirsche, the school's director of sustainability. 18Rather than using chemicals or mowers, Kirsche said the university hired Jennif Chandler to send in a herd of goats. 19"Bringing the goats to the site was an alternative means of removing invasive plants in a way that was nontoxic to the environment and friendly to people," Kirsche said. 20At the time, Richardson, the owner of Chew Crew, was a student at the University of Georgia studying landscape architecture. He got the idea to create his own goat grazing business. The goats became the most popular four-legged creatures on campus, he said. 21Richardson, who moved his company to Nashville after finishing his studies, now prefers sheep over goats. Sheep have closer group ties and are not as likely as goats to climb and explore. 22"I'll never own another goat," he admitted. "It's like trying to fence in water." 23But sheep are not an answer for all cities and their lands, O'Conner said. "We want to educate the public on why we're choosing to graze where we're grazing," she added. 24Hundreds of sheep can affect the environment by spreading seeds. The city of Santa Barbara does environmental studies before bringing in grazers since the process can also affect birds. 25"Throwing like 500 sheep into an area is a much larger impact on the land and those soils than our native herbivores would have," O'Conner said. 26I'm Ashley Thompson. 27And I'm John Russell. 28Kristin M. Hall reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 29______________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31leaf blower -n. a machine that uses a fan to blow away leaves 32weed eater -n. a machine that cuts soft plants and grass 33species - n. a class of individuals having common attributes and designated by a common name 34sustainable - adj. of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged 35staff -n. a regular employee 36buffer - n. any of various devices or pieces of material for reducing shock or damage due to contact 37drastically - adv. severely or seriously 38herd -n. a name for groups of certain animals such as cattle, sheep and goats 39alternative - adj. offering or expressing a choice 40impact - n. a significant or major effect 41herbivore -n. an animal that only eats plants