Goats are coming again to clear the slope at the Pine Street Hill Climb. By tomorrow, once the fences are set up and the hillside is checked for any poisonous plants, the 60-member herd will be enjoying the assorted herbs, sticker bushes and weeds that thrive on that slope.
The ruminants were set out in the same area below the Pike Place Market last June. Now the overgrowth has returned, and it will be munched away so the slope can be hydro seeded.
After three days or so at the Pine Street area, the goats will move to browse for several days at an area at NE 40th Street and Pasadena Place Northeast. Then they will move to North 36th Street and Troll Avenue North where they will stay for a week or more.
SDOT and other public agencies find goats to be advantageous for controlling overgrowth in difficult areas. They can easily browse on steep slopes that are difficult for people to access, quickly clearing an area of thick weeds and brush, avoiding the use of herbicides.
The vendor providing the goatherd is Rent a Ruminant, http://www.rentaruminant.com .
For more information: Karen Sweeney, (206) 386-1218
Media contact: Marybeth Turner, (206) 684-8548
