Looking out from their Qualicum Beach fences Monday, Gordy Leverington and his neighbours couldn’t believe what they saw in the alley behind their homes. “No way. This is quite a surprise,” Leverington told CHEK News on Monday.
“I wondered what all the noise was going on in the back. Come around and look, holy mackerel, we got a herd of goats.” So the small town neighbours did what came naturally, quickly jumping in to carry and welcome newcomers hands-on.
“By all means, this is just beautiful,” said Leverington as he carried a baby goat to an enclosure nearby. It turns out the Town of Qualicum Beach has hired 19 goats to get to work on a wildly overgrown alley between Garden Road and Sixth Street. Within moments of hitting the ground, they were already showing off to do what they do best: eating, or at least trying to eat, everything in reach.
Watch the report below: “They sure didn’t waste any time getting started to work,” said Jason Gray, an employee with the Town of Qualicum Beach Parks Department. Gray said the town wanted to try something different to tackle its greenspaces by hiring local goatscaping company, Oceanside Goatscaping and Vegetation Control , over heavy machinery. “Because it’s so noisy, all the machinery, the weed eating.
It’s enough to drive you batty,” said Qualicum Beach resident Linda Whitten. “I know the last time we cleared this alley, they used heavy equipment, and it was a little bit more invasive to the subsurface, so this is going to be a lower impact attempt,” said Gray. “So it’s a first-try pilot, we’ll see how it works out,” he added.
“I think it’s fantastic. I love the idea,” said Qualicum resident Wes Whitten. CHEK Newsletter Sign up for the CHEK Now daily email newsletter to get breaking news and the day's top stories sent to your email.
Email Address Sign Me Up “Great idea, it will really make a difference out here. That’s for sure,” said Leverington. The goats will have their work cut out for them over the next seven days.
Tuesday on, they’re expected to be released into hundreds of metres of overgrown Himalayan blackberries. “How do they do with blackberries?” CHEK News asked Oceanside Goatscaping’s owner, Moira Barron. “Oh, they love them,” replied Barron.
Barron and her husband, who have owned goats for years, just started their goatscaping company in January, and she said Vancouver Island seems hungry for it. “We’re getting really busy. I’m trying to keep up with people’s questions and requests, which is always nice to do,” said Barron.
“Can I get ’em to come down and mow my lawn?” asked Leverington. The goats are expected to be at work in the alley all week long as the town turns to the most natural weed eaters around and, in the process, grows an even friendlier place to call home. Editorial Policies Report an Error.
