Four-legged Conservationists

Kaitlyn Kelley, Conservation Aide

Did you know that goats are conservationists? As browsers, goats are very effective in clearing unwanted weeds and brush. They prefer to eat small trees, brush, weeds, and other plants over grass, which can be helpful in cleaning up the understories in your parks! And they are ambitious eaters. They stand on their hind legs to reach taller plants and low tree branches. In this process they can quickly knock down vegetation, which is further accelerated when they are kept in a herd and in smaller quarters. Their eating and trampling exposes the forest floor to more sunlight, giving native plants a chance to grow.

Grazing with goats means we can use less equipment and chemicals, and therefore cause less disturbance to sensitive areas. And the process can be pretty quick! They can kill an entire weed or brush species in a given area in just one season if using the right technique. Allowing them to completely defoliate an area, moving them to another paddock to allow those plants to grow new leaves, and then putting them back in the original paddock can significantly drain the plants’ energy reserves. If defoliated multiple times in a growing season, it’s likely the weakened plants will die over the winter.

We have utilized goat grazing for quite a few years in county parks like Robison Wildlife Acres, Christiansen Forest Preserve, McFarland Park, and Hickory Grove Park. We plan to continue inviting them back! Keep an eye out for goats this upcoming summer at some of these same parks.

Do you have an interest in water quality? Do you like being outside in any kind of weather? Do you want to help the county collect important data? Then we have a great opportunity for you!

We are in year two of our 10-year countywide water quality monitoring plan. Prairie Rivers of Iowa partnered with SCC and others in Story County to create a report focused on the importance of gathering water quality data. It explains where we already have data and where it is lacking, how to collect new data and interpret the findings, and goals for 2021-2031.

The Water Quality Monitoring Program is an initative that came out of this plan and is a volunteer water quality monitoring program whose goals are

• To provide a balanced approach for the public to become involved in protecting and improving water resources

• To develop opportunities for the public to experience and discover the influence of watershed on water quality

• To develop a user-friendly process for data collection and interpretation to increase accurate information on the county’s water resources

We are always looking for more volunteers to monitor our rivers and creeks. The map below shows monitoring sites, and some of these sites are unclaimed! Training and all supplies will be provided. If you would like to learn more or sign up please contact Sara Carmichael, Watershed Coordinator, at 515.598.1652 or scarmichael@storycountyiowa.gov.