CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA – Have you recently turned a corner here in the 925 and come face to face with hundreds of goats?
No, they’re not escapees from a petting zoo—turns out, they’re on the clock.
Surprise Herds: Goat Grazing Is Now a Normal Part of Life in the 925
This recently happened to us here at the Bay Area Telegraph. We drove through the Berkeley Hills in Tilden Regional Park, only to find vast herds of goats lining the road.
If you’ve see the same thing, you’ve witnessed “targeted grazing” in action—a living lawn‑mower deployed by land‑managers across the East Bay.
On recent projects in Fremont and Oakland, crews brought in roughly 600 goats at a time to strip hillsides of tinder‑dry grass and brush before peak fire season hits.
What They’re Doing Up There: Targeted Grazing 101
Goats (often teamed with sheep or cattle) are corralled inside temporary electric fencing and stewarded by a herder who moves them parcel by parcel.
Each animal eats up to eight pounds of vegetation daily, turning waist‑high weeds into ankle‑high stubble that slows flames and gives firefighters a safe foothold.
It’s a safe, natural way to cut wildfire risk–especially on hilly and dangerous terrain, which abounds here in the 925!
Who Hires the Goats—and How Many Are Out There?
- East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) – Contracts professional outfits like Goats R Us and Star Creek Land Stewards. In 2025, EBRPD will graze over 86,800 acres of parkland with livestock—much of it inside Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
- Fire Agencies & HOAs – Contra Costa County Fire, local cities, and even some homeowner associations hire goats to trim defensible space along wildland‑urban edges.
- Private Landowners – Commercial orchards, vineyards, and ranches increasingly book herds when steep terrain makes mowing dangerous or impossible.
A typical herd is 200–600 animals; one contractor estimates 350 goats can mow roughly an acre a day of average growth. EBRPD alone spends $500,000 per year on goats.
Why Goats Beat Machines for Fire Safety
Simply put, machines like lawn mowers can throw off sparks that start wildfires–counterproductive if your goal is to reduce fire risk!
Goats don’t do that.
They’re also experts at climbing dangerous, inaccessible hills. They naturally till the ground, and (ahem) “fertilize” it naturally too.
Goats also love to eat tricky plants like poison oak. They’re perfect little lawn mowing machines!
The Bottom Line
Those 600 bearded landscapers aren’t just a cute photo‑op—they’re frontline firefighters with hooves. By the time the herd moves on, the hillside that once looked like kindling will be a closely cropped carpet, buying the East Bay precious minutes when the next red‑flag day arrives.
