Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Time for a TurnaroundWell, my friends, things are finally looking up, and good timing, too, since I’m sure you’re all sick of me bitching. Recent bike build, including wheels… fun! In what feels like a fairly short time, I’ve come from sitting around … Continue reading → […]
- This Raised My PulseHey, baby… wanna ride? I may be injured, but I’m not dead yet. I can still have racy thoughts. Here’s more info. In other news, UBI was an awesome success! I had a blast. I highly recommend it. Overhaul day…. … Continue reading → […]
- Time for a Turnaround
- Edgy Veggie
Goatscaping back in Boulder
Â
A goat chews on weeds on the dam face of the Boulder Reservoir on Wednesday. | Photo: Greg Lindstrom / The Camera
Goatscaping is one of my favorite blog topics.
Â
So you know I’m going to let you know about Boulder bringing in 300 goats to eat weeds at Boulder Reservoir, which means not using chemicals. Every time I read about this topic, I learn something new. Here’s this week’s tidbit:
“Goats are browsers versus grazers,” said Matt Claussen, manager of urban resources for the Boulder Parks and Recreation Department.
“They actually prefer forbs to most grasses and will therefore eat weedy species, such as knapweed before moving on to many of the native plants,” he said. “The goat herder will move the goats along as they graze, so as not to harm beneficial native species and focus on the target species.”
Â
A runner passes a group of goats eating knapweed at Boulder Reservoir. | Photo: Greg Lindstrom / The Camera
So that’s why they’re a natural choice for weeding.
Â
If you’re wondering about the animal rights issues here — and I know some of you are — PETA has addressed the question and, as PETA is wont to do, has raised another question. Here’s something I’ve quoted from TechCrunch before:
Says Amy Cook, an Assistant Manager of Marketing for PETA:
PETA has no problem with letting goats do what goats want to do (e.g., look cute and eat weeds), but we do have concerns about how the goats may be transported, whether they are provided with access to shelter during storms and shade as well as water during hot weather, where they are housed when they aren’t “working,” what kind of veterinary care they receive, and what becomes of old and/or excess goats. PETA has found over and over that whenever animals are used by a business to make money, corners are cut and animals often suffer as a result. And that really gets our goat, if you’ll pardon the pun.
