A five-acre patch of land at the Sands Point Preserve is now the dining room for a herd of 14 goats, brought in to tackle an environmental challenge the natural way: by eating it.
Dubbed “Goatbusters,” the new initiative launched Wednesday, Aug. 6, is an eco-friendly invasive species removal project aimed at restoring the health of a native oak forest overrun by plants like poison ivy and English ivy. The four-legged landscapers arrived Wednesday morning from Green Goats Rhinebeck, a Hudson Valley-based farm that has spent the past two decades helping public parks and green spaces with similar projects.
“These invasive plants may look lush and green, but they’re choking the life out of our native trees,” said Jeremiah Bosgang, executive director of the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy. “Goats provide a unique, natural, and highly entertaining solution to the problem.”
The goats will graze inside a newly fenced-in five-acre area nestled between the preserve’s pond and dog run, working six to 12 hours a day and consuming up to 5% of their body weight in invasive plants such as woody stems and broadleaf plants.
Staff and volunteers will provide fresh water daily using large buckets placed around the site, as the goats cannot access the pond directly. Small shelters have also been installed to keep them comfortable during rain and heat.
“They’re hardy animals,” Bosgang said. “But once it starts getting too cold, usually December through March, they’ll return to their farm in Rhinebeck. Then they’ll be back in spring to continue their work.”
The plan calls for a two-year grazing cycle, after which the cleared area will be replanted with native species that support local pollinators.
“This is not a one-and-done fix,” Bosgang added. “But over time, we’ll see real change in the forest ecology here.”
Green Goats founder Ann Lilita Cihanek, who brought the goats to the preserve, said she started the business 20 years ago after receiving a request from Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, where crews couldn’t work due to dense poison ivy.
“We rent goats anywhere there are invasive species — golf courses, cemeteries, parks,” she said. “I’ve been telling these goats all week that they’re going to a really nice place. So they better behave!”
The same goats are expected to return each season, and the preserve is leaning into the opportunity for public engagement. Bosgang said there are plans for a “Name-a-Goat” fundraiser allowing supporters to sponsor a goat, with proceeds supporting the conservancy’s environmental programs.
The Goatbusters initiative has already drawn crowds.
“If we were just pulling poison ivy, I doubt this many people would be here,” Bosgang said. “But goats? People love goats.”
Bosgang said the initiative can also result in a fun family game of “where’s the goat,” while looking through the green forest to find them.
The project’s funding comes from the New York Community Trust Long Island and the Manhasset Community Fund’s Greentree Good Neighbor Fund. In the coming months, the preserve plans to sell goat-themed merchandise and goat milk soap in the gift shop to support ongoing conservation efforts.
For more information about the Goatbusters initiative or to sponsor a goat, visit sandspointpreserve.org
