Daily News Reports »

Fire Fightings New Mascot
by Susan Allen, click here for bio

Program: Open Range
Date: November 10, 09

Click on the play button to listen to report.

Download Report: 111009 firefighting goats.mp3

Only you can help prevent forest fires. Out West generations of kids have grown up with Smokey the Bear in a region of the United States continually ravaged by forest fires. Is it time for new mascot? Well there is another creature quite adapt at fighting forest fires... stay tuned to find out. The last decade of devastating forest fires West of the Rockies and California have pitted those who advocate clearing forests of underbrush and downed timber and those who distain any human intervention against each other. But it is interesting that there is one method of removing forest debris that hasn’t raised the ire of either group. Billy Goats ! Over and over again goats have been proven effective forest fire fighters in many of our western states. Like smoke jumpers they’re athletically adapt at getting to tough terrain without leaving a footprint. Goats have been successfully used in California’s Berkeley Hills for years, in fact many believe they’re the very reason the Bay Area hasn’t experienced the catastrophic fires that have plagued Southern California. Goats do a phenomenal job of keeping underbrush at bay. The Nature Conservancy utilizes goats in some of it’s preserves . Goats are also effective noxious weed fighters. So in my book Smokey the Bear could have competition as a fire fighter mascot that is until some green guru blames goat emissions for global warming. I’m Susan Allen