Towson University unleashes goats to munch away at invasive species

BALTIMORE -- Towson University unleashed a herd of goats in their arboretum Tuesday – a solution to a problem impacting all of Maryland's forests. 

With each bite, Veronica Cassily's goats are helping the environment. 

"A lot of the trees in Baltimore County are completely covered with English ivy, and these guys happen to like it," said Cassily.

For the past 10 years, Cassily's goats have been munching away at the invasive plant species at Towson University's Glen Arboretum.

"Mostly multiflora rose, Asian bittersweet, Japanese stilt grass, porcelain berry," Cassily said. "Those are the main things that are killing Maryland's forests and were infecting the glen"

Professor Jim Hull is the director of the glen. 

"The goats come in and they clear out an area and make it accessible," said Hull. "Then I use my student volunteers to dig up the root stalks of these plants and then we plant native trees and shrubs in their place."

Hull said the goats come once or twice a year and have helped significantly reduce the invasive plants, allowing the trees native to Maryland to thrive.

"It's a pleasure to have them out here, they attract students, the students really enjoy this and they do a great service for us," Hull said.

Cassily said the goats aren't just providing a service, they're helping raise awareness about invasive species.

 "We need to have a little more environmental education, take kids outside and show them what's happening outside and get them interested in preserving the forest, teach them what's native and what's invasive," said Cassily. 

Since she started bringing her goats to Towson, Cassily has turned her herd into a business servicing parks and private lands throughout the area. 

Cassily said some of these invasive species might be in your own backyard so its important to know what to look for and how to get rid of them.