We’re Not Kidding Around Here

We’re not kidding …  goats are coming to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden!

With generous support from the Anita Berry Martin Memorial Fund at North Texas Community Foundation, FWBG will be hosting a small herd of goats, April 5-15, to help us clean up the invasive plant species in our Native Texas Boardwalk area. The goats will be visible for guests during regular Garden hours and monitored by a herder 24/7.

Frequently referred to as “goatscaping,” goat herd grazing is a management strategy already practiced by nature centers, airports, ranches, and private residences in Texas and other states. Research shows positive impacts of goat grazing, including decreased fire fuels, increased species diversity, and soil enriched by goat waste. The benefits of selectively allowing goats to graze on our site should include fewer manhours devoted to manual and mechanical invasive species removal and reduced or eliminated use of motorized and heavy equipment operations, thereby reducing emissions, and providing a quieter, more positive experience for FWBG guests.

photo credit: Martin Vorel

Historically, natural processes such as fires, flooding, and grazing maintain the ecological balance of native Texas environments. And while FWBG is home to natural wildlife, grazing animals are not a part of our ecosystem. The Garden’s goal in using a borrowed band of browsing goats is to fill this gap and help tip the management scales back in our favor.

The goats will also provide a research opportunity for our scientists from the Botanic Research Institute of Texas (BRIT). With the help of an undergraduate student intern, the Horticulture and Research teams will collect data during this pilot project to determine whether goat grazing is a viable option for long-term management at the Garden. Those research plans and any eventual findings will be shared in the future.  To visit the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, purchase tickets at fwbg.org. The Garden is currently open to the public 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas day.