Santa Cruz RTC becomes a goat herder for sake of railroad tracks
Written by RT&S Staff
The Santa Cruz RTC is conducting a pilot project using goats to clean the area on and around train tracks.
Goat milk, goat cheese, and goat track cleaners. The last one could be on its way to becoming an official product used by railroad companies and transit agencies.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is currently overseeing a pilot project that is using about 200 goats on railroad tracks to eat invasive plant species and overgrown brush, as well as other debris.
The herd has been moving up and down the railroad tracks chewing up anything that is edible, and the hope is the feeding will help reduce wildfires, keep invasive plant species under control, clear drainage ditches and clean the line to prevent damage to train wheels.
The goats are currently serving their final location in Live Oak, near 17th and 18th avenues, where a mile of track is expected to be treated by the end of the week.
The Regional Transportation Commission could put together a longer-term vegetation management program with goats serving as the equipment, but the move could be determined on how the vegetation grows back in the spring.
Read more articles on track maintenance.
