The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy Is Looking for a Few Good Goats

By Steve Tabor

It seems like 2020 has taken forever to leave, but that means that Spring is just around the corner, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (Conservancy) is engaged in its annual Adopt-A-Goat program.

The Conservancy uses approximately 300 goats for its Adopt-A-Goat project. Depending upon the type vegetation, each goat can clear up to five acres per day. The Conservancy generally uses the goats in Spring. The length of time they are used by Conservancy depends on the availability of funding and the severity of vegetation growth that needs to be cleared on Conservancy-owned lands.

The goats are also hired to clear the hillsides and canyons owned by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes for fire abatement purposes. The goats are owned by Fire Grazers Inc., which is located in Mariposa, CA. Michael Choi, owner of Fire Grazers Inc. indicates, “Goats are browsers as opposed to grazers. Due to their varied diet, their droppings make for fertile compost.” In addition to their work in Lunada Canyon, the goats have been utilized in the Portuguese Bend Reserve, Abalone Cove, San Ramone Reserve, and the Alta Vincente Reserve.

“The Adopt-A-Goat program plays an important role in establishing fire clearance along the canyons and hillsides under the Conservancy’s management.” Says Cris Sarabia, Conservation Director for the Conservancy. He continues, “It is just as important that goats clear the areas to allow us to reduce or eliminate the non-native and invasive plants such as mustard seed, tumbleweed and fennel. Then we will replant native plants which help support the native butterflies, birds, and animals, some of which are critically endangered and endemic to this area.”

The sites where the goats are placed are chosen carefully. Sarabia points out, “Every site is unique. Removing the dry brush from the slopes of a canyon is primarily done for fire clearance. Most of the slopes are so steep that people cannot access the vegetation. On some slopes, we will plant cactus on the hillsides to support terrain and habitat restoration. In the lower regions of a canyon, we want to clear the brush, yet protect the native plants that may already exist and prepare the ground for additional native plantings. In the coming year, we will focus our efforts on the lower portion of Lunada Canyon.”

Following the goats, Conservancy staff members and volunteers begin their habitat restoration efforts. Sarabia estimates, “Over the past 10 years the Conservancy has planted thousands and thousands of plants across more than 50 acres of open space. As the restoration takes hold, the native plants become self-sustaining and help support wildlife that could not exist if the invasive plants remain.”

Sarabia continues, “I’ve found wildflowers in the canyons that the goats have cleared that I would have never been able to see because of the invasive plant overgrowth. Special plants like the rattlepod and deerweed help support the life cycle of the Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly. Other native plants support the California Gnat Catcher and El Segundo Blue Butterfly. The cactus on the canyon hillsides provide habitat for the Coastal Cactus Wren.”

Sarabia indicates that during his 12 years with the Conservancy, he has seen a dramatic improvement to the Palos Verdes habitat. He says, “When the native Californians inhabited the Peninsula, the land could continually support the variety of native plants and animals. As farms and ranches took over the land, the native plants and animals slowly disappeared. And as residential development expanded over the past 100 years, these combined stresses have pushed species and habitats to the brink of extinction or extirpation from this area. The Conservancy’s restoration work to utilize goats to graze the land and reseeding efforts artificially complete a wildlife cycle that was once a natural occurrence on the Peninsula.”

The Adopt-A-Goat initiative gives community members a unique opportunity to not only support the project, but contribute to returning the Peninsula’s landscape to its natural state. Each donation to the Adopt-A-Goat program goes to supporting the Conservancy’s goats, habitat restoration and education programs. It’s is also an opportunity to see the goats up close and take a portrait with the baby goats, known as “kids”.

All though a donation of any amount to the Adopt-A-Goat program is welcome, the Conservancy offers special incentives for certain dollar amount donations:

$100 (Adopt-A-Goat for a Day) donation receives an invitation to the Adopt-A-Goat program and enjoy a complimentary portrait with a goat taken at the Conservancy’s Adopt-A-Goat program.

$250 (Adopt-A-Goat for ½ a Week) donation in addition to the $100 benefits, and a private tour.

$500 (Adopt-A-Goat for a Week) donation receives all the above plus a household pass to the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

$1,000 donation supports one 3rd grade classroom Naturalist program. Donors at this level become members of the Conservancy’s Mariposa Circle and receive invitations to special functions conducted by the Conservancy.

The 2021 virtual Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour features a selection of outdoor adventure films and will be conducted from January 17th through January 31st. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning January 1st.

The Conservancy’s Silent Auction benefitting the White Point Nature Preserve will be conducted online during the same time frame as the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. The auction can be accessed through its own online link. Check the Conservancy’s website for further details.

For more information about these events or other Conservancy projects, contact the Conservancy at (310) 541-7613 or by email at info@Conservancy.org.

Palos Verdes Land Conservancy Website

Steve Tabor Bio

This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35 mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. Steve began with photographing coastal landscapes and marine life. As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students. Steve has expanded his photographic talents to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics. Steve serves as a volunteer ranger for the Catalina Island Conservancy and uses this opportunity to document the flora and fauna of the island’s interior as well as photograph special events and activities.

Watch for Steve Tabor Images on the worldwide web.