Goats help clear invasive weeds

Kevanna Park — For the second straight year, the Washington State Department of Transportation brought some adorable friends out to get rid of invasive weeds. The department used 17 goats to get rid of the weeds at a stormwater pond near state Highway 500. The goats will be there working to clear out the area for about two weeks, Heidi Holmstrom, the goats’ handler, said in a video posted to the department’s Facebook page. Part of the reason for using goats, she said in the video, is because they can get to weeds that are hard to reach, and their digestive process has a chemical that breaks down poisonous enzymes. “If we were to go out there and take care of it by mowing or by chopping it down, every little bit would re-sprout and we would just be spreading the problem,” Holmstrom said. She added that the goats are also preferable to using chemicals. “We’re going green with goats.”