Goats Help Clear Brush As Wildfire Season Approaches

All signs point to a dangerous wildfire season here in Southern California, so prevention efforts such as clearing brush are well underway.

At the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, that work is being handled, at least in part, by hundreds of goats.

“They eat all the brush and vegetation and plants around the entire perimeter of the library,” said Melissa Giller, a spokeswoman for the Reagan Library.

The clearing then creates a fire break around the museum, which firefighters credit for saving the library when the Easy Fire surrounded the building in 2019.

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And while the goats are there for a very serious purpose, Giller says they also bring some fun to the grounds.

"There's always one that finds a way to jump over the fence, or get through a hole,” she said. “We have really fun stories of a goat being found at the Air Force One pavillion. Almost every year, there's a baby goat that's born, if not two or three."

The goats usually stay anywhere from one to five weeks, depending on the amount of new growth.