The Conservancy’s Secret Weapon Against Invasive Species

Some of the most industrious workers in the area are taking the winter off. But don’t worry, come spring, they’ll be hard at it again.

The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s two herds of goats are among the best tools the Conservancy has to combat invasive species. They happily feast on the various plants that threaten native flora. Until then, they will dine on some of their seasonal favorites – pumpkins in the fall, and Christmas trees in the winter.

Sam Griffin is the farm operations & sustainability coordinator for the Conservancy, a.k.a. the goat wrangler. “I’m part of the stewardship team. We care for the land,” she says. “The goat herd is part of the restoration.”

Among the goats’ favorite foods is autumn olive, a shrub native to Asia that was introduced in 1830 as an ornamental plant that could provide habitat and food to wildlife and widely planted by the Soil Conservation Service as erosion control near roads and on ridges. It outcompetes and displaces native plants with its rapid and uncontrollable spread.