If you see goats walking down the boulevard don't be alarmed! They are not ordinary goats!

These are our herd of Boer Bok or "Farmers Goat" and they have been on the job at the Frontier Culture Center in Staunton, VA since September 30th clearing invasive plant species.

They are being used as Biological Control Agents and are doing a great job so far. In fact they

already need to be moved to a new location on site. We will be moving them today to Site #2, a thick area on the hill above the pond. I will now be blogging on a regular basis to let you know how the project is going.

We are pleased with the progress to date. They have cleaned up the 14 acres in Site #1 a week sooner than expected. They all seem to have adjusted well. Their body conditions look really good on the new forage. These Boer Bok only eat forage and alfalfa/orchard grass hay in the winter. This is a completely natural diet as we do not use supplemental grain or feed. Some of the does are actually fat on their forage diet of Invasive Species! Clay has taken quality photos to document and demonstrate what these Boer Bok can do.

Go to our Flickr site to view the photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10619460@N03/sets/

They are the Frontier Culture Center Project Sets.

We have a brochure available at the Museum store and Visitors Center that gives details on the project. Here is the link to the Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development Council website where you can see the brochure http://www.shenandoahrcd.org/WhatsNew.htm

The dogs have also adjusted to their new location. We have two on site right now protecting the herd. It is amazing to me how the dogs know who and what is a threat. I was very concerned about the dog walkers and how our dogs would react to them. Much to my amazement, the dogs quickly figured out that these dogs are okay. They give a warning bark and then go about their business of protecting the herd. We have enjoyed meeting the dog walkers and appreciate them keeping an eye on the herd when they are there.