Anacostia Watershed Society to Employ Herd of Goats As An Eco-Friendly Way to Clear Invasive Plants

Herds of Goats will Feed on Destructive Kudzu Plant to Help Restore the Overall Health of the Anacostia River 

Bladensburg, MD - The Anacostia Watershed Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cleaning the water, recovering the shoreline, and honoring the heritage of the Anacostia River and its watershed communities, today announced that the organization in cooperation with Maryland National Capital Parking and Planning will utilize goats to help manage invasive plant populations along the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in Hyattsville, Maryland.   Beginning on November 1, 2013, the Anacostia Watershed Society will employ over 60 goats over the next two weeks to naturally and safely clear out an invasive area of kudzu (Pueraria lobata). 

The goats, provided through a paid service by EcoGoats  of Davidsonville, Maryland will happily feast on the kudzu for a total of 13 days.  Grazing the kudzu  night and day,  the herds of goats will be supervised and checked on daily by AWS and EcoGoats staff members. Employed by many land management entities, this removal technique is considered a low impact and sustainable land management tool. Unlike machines or herbicides, the heard of goats will not compress nor contaminate the soil around the river’s habitat and will reduce the invasive plant biomass and seed stock that would routinely be disposed of in local area landfills potentially further the spreading of  kudzu through composting and mulching products. 

Kudzu is a non-native, invasive vine that spreads quickly and outcompetes native vegetation.   Before the Anacostia Watershed Society can begin its stream restoration and stormwater management efforts, the kudzu must be removed.   The Anacostia Watershed Society believes utilizing the goats is a more sustainable approach to invasive removal.  By reducing the overall biomass of the kudzu, a more complete removal of the plant stock and roots will be accomplished.  Once the kudzu has been removed, a native riparian buffer will be re-established within the proposed stream restoration areas which will  improve the river’s overall health by providing a natural vegetative filter which reduces stormwater runoff as well as sediment and nutrient loads flowing into the Anacostia River and ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay. These native plantings will also enhance riparian wildlife habitat and provide a greater seasonal interest for parkland users. 

“Our Stewardship team at the Anacostia Watershed Society is excited to begin this initial phase of  our stream restoration work from funds provided by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources through their Natural Filters Grant Program.  We look forward to working closely with Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning as we engage the  local community with our efforts on this parkland  to remove invasive plants as part of the initial phase of a larger stream restoration effort along this corridor of the Anacostia Northwest Branch.    By utilizing sustainable BMP’s and innovative stormwater management techniques, AWS is very  excited at the prospect of restoring this segment of  stream’s capacity  to naturally filter and better manage stormwater which now flows untreated into the stream from surrounding roads and development “said Jim Foster, AWS President.   “We are also extremely grateful to Maryland National Capital Parking and Planning and Maryland DNR for their cooperation as well as  support of  AW’s efforts to  demonstrate and implement more sustainable land management practices and stream restoration projects on park land." 

The kudzu removal project is part of a larger initiative led by the Anacostia Watershed Society.  In June of 2013, the Anacostia Watershed Society was awarded a grant from Maryland Department of Natural Resources to engage communities within Prince George’s County implementing stormwater management retrofits and stream restoration projects.  These projects will serve to educate and demonstrate  the connection between  sustainable  methods of handling stormwater to create a safer and healthier environment for the plants, animals and humans in the Anacostia watershed.