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Goats munching down on invasive plants in Ottawa County

Posted at 6:18 PM, Jun 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-03 18:26:52-04

EASTMANVILLE, Mich. -- Instead of burning invasive brush and plants, the Ottawa County Parks Department is unleashing a different power...goats.

Chomping down on everything from weeds to poison ivy, goats are taking out nuisance plants that threaten native grasses and brush and weaken the ecosystem.

Ottawa County partners with Career Line Tech School in West Olive to get goats loose in parks needing weed control.

Right now they are munching away at the Eastmanville Bayou Park near the Grand River.

Melanie Manion the Natural Resource Management Supervisor for Ottawa County Parks says if you run across them, don't touch them, "The goats have been eating poison ivy. That’s one of their favorite foods. So they are covered in poison ivy."

Goats process ivy differently, so they are immune to the poisonous reaction.

This is the third year for the program and depending on how the goats do this year, the county will decide whether or not to use them again.