DENVER (AP) — Federal land managers are increasingly turning to an unlikely ally to fight wildfires--goats.
Colorado Public Radio reports the Bureau of Land Management has contracted goat herders to clear noxious weeds and brush that could fuel large wildfires.
The goats eat, poop and stomp around, grinding their manure into the soil.
BLM wildlife biologist Hilary Boyd says she hopes that process removes undesirable vegetation and will allow room for more native plants to grow.
One such project was underway near Carbondale in western Colorado.
The 800-goat herd's next task will be clearing brush near an area torched by last year’s Grizzly Creek Fire, also in western Colorado.
