Poison Ivy No Match for Goats

Photo: theenvironmentalblog.org

Goats, goats and more goats.

Goats are going where no landscaper has gone before in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

Well, at least where no landscaper would like to go.

A fierce infestation of poison ivy has overgrown and is slowly destroying the historical Fort Hancock’s mortar battery.

The battery is famous for defending the New York Harbor during the Spanish-American War through WWII.

Because no landscaper dared to take on what seemed like the impossible, the Sandy Hook Foundation turned to 11 Nubian goats from Upstate New York.

Betsy Barrett, president of the nonprofit organization, told USA Today the cost of the ivy-eating goats would be approximately $12,000 through the end of the year.

According to the owner of the animals, the goats don’t eat the roots of the ivy, but if the goats continue to eat the ivy over a period of time, the plant will be starved of the energy it needs to continue to grow.