Hungry kids to clean up grounds at Reeves-Reed Arboretum

Goats will be arriving at Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit later this month to eat away unwanted vegetation.It's time to get the landscape ready for winter, and if you're feeling exhausted at the mere thought of pulling weeds and removing spent plants from your garden beds, you might wish for a back-saving alternative.

Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit is bringing in hungry kids to do the dirty work.

Don't go calling the authorities about child labor violations, these youngsters are the four-legged type. 

For about two weeks starting on Oct. 20, a herd of goats will descend on the arboretum's historic Daffodil Bowl to eat through vegetation in steep terrain, munching away a year’s worth of wildflower growth, invasive vines and weeds.

The grazing goats are are expected to be an added draw along with the spooky trail walk, pumpkin carving, costume parade and crafts fair at the arboretum's upcoming Celebrate Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 26. While enjoying the non-stop buffet, the goats will be demonstrating an environmentally friendly approach to vegetation control. Goats have chewed down unwanted vegetation on hillsides and rocky slopes in California and Washington, and munched away invasive along highways in Maryland. In addition to cutting down on human toil, the use of grazing goats is an alternative to herbicides.  The arboretum has hired Green Goats, a Rhinebeck, NY company that oversees working goats in "clearing hard to manage areas that might otherwise be hazardous to human volunteers."

To clear the Daffodill Bowl, arboretum staff and volunteers have sometimes needed to work through the fall and "after the winter snows have melted," according to a written statement about the goat program. While the herd headed to Summit will take on the weeding and clearing, volunteers will still be needed to restore the area and plant bulbs for the anticipated Daffodil Day in spring.

Arboretum visitors can help support the new “green goat initiative” by sponsoring a goat. Click on the “green goats” link at Reeves-Reed.org, and send a “kid” to the arboretum with a tax-deductible $25 donation.

The arboretum's environmental education department can provide personalized group programs that will speak to issues of sustainable land management for home gardens, farms and public green spaces. School groups, scouts, gardeners and members of the general public are invited. For more information, visit Reeves-ReedArboretum.org or call (908) 273-8787, ext. 1010.

Reeves-Reed Arboretum is at 165 Hobart Ave. in Summit.  The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.