SANTA BARBARA, Calif. \u2014 Munch, munch. Munch, munch.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just past 4 p.m. on a late September day and Henry, a tan colored mixed-breed goat, along with 68 of his buddies, is chowing down on chemise, ceanothus, thistle and assorted native grasses. Or as fire officials term it, fuel. This 2-acre patch of land, bordered by a small clump of homes and a popular hiking trail in the Santa Barbara foothills, is tinder dry \u2014 a big concern with peak fire season now here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll eat for about 20 minutes, then lie down like they\u2019re pregnant,\u201d Lorraine Argo says referring to the herd of mostly wethers (castrated males) she\u2019s just released to their enclosure. Also in the mix: two Anatolian predator dogs to protect the goats from coyotes, rattlesnakes and nosy domestic hounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can call them \u2018Killer 1\u2019 and \u2018Killer 2;\u2019 we won\u2019t release the names,\u201d Argo says laughing. There\u2019s also an electric fence to keep people out and the goats in. \u201cIt\u2019s 10,000 volts but almost no amperage,\u201d adds Argo\u2019s husband Ian Newsam. \u201cI\u2019ve been shocked more times than all the animals combined.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple runs Brush Goats 4 Hire, a Santa Barbara County outfit that uses \u201ctarget browsing\u201d to help homeowners and municipalities deal with the area\u2019s most damaging phenomenon \u2014 wildfire. Paid for by a federal Fire Safe Council grant of $67,000 procured by the local homeowner\u2019s association, the goat project comprises an increasingly critical tool for battling the devastating firestorms that frequent the area.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From USAToday: SANTA BARBARA, Calif. \u2014 Munch, munch. Munch, munch. It\u2019s just past 4 p.m. on a late September day and Henry, a tan colored mixed-breed goat, along with 68 of his buddies, is chowing down on chemise, ceanothus, thistle and assorted native grasses. Or as fire officials term it, fuel. This 2-acre patch of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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