Have you noticed hundreds of goats grazing on the hillside during your ride on BART? That's not an accident.
BART is using the goats to clear fire-hazardous vegetation along its right-of-way property, the agency announced in a press release.
The 700-goat herd will help the company reduce “reliance on fossil-fuel-powered equipment, decrease the chance of sparking fires, and increase safety for workers.”
"This is the smartest way for us to deal with the vegetation in these areas," Josh Soltero, an irrigation/grounds worker in BART's grounds maintenance department, said.
BART contracted the Spanish-Boer cross goats from Living Systems Land Management, a Coalinga-based business. A goat herder stays with the animals at each location 24 hours a day, to keep them moving to their next stop.
California suffered one of its worst wildfire seasons in modern history last year, with an estimated 4.2 million acres burned statewide. Much of the transit’s real estate is in high-risk wildfire areas, made even worse by climate change-fueled precipitation that leads to overgrown vegetation.
"Uncontrolled wildfires pose a risk to BART assets and other nearby built structures, so BART proactively manages any overgrowth on its properties to help prevent fires from starting or spreading," the agency said.
The goats started their feast near the agency’s Fremont station and then moved between the Lafayette and Walnut Creek stops.
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