BOISE HIGHLANDS, Idaho — As Idaho heads into what’s shaping up to be a very active fire season, some homeowners are turning to a herd of unconventional firefighters for help.
All across the Treasure Valley, goats and sheep are being put to work gobbling up dry grass and brush before it can fuel a wildfire.
“It’s kind of like having your own petting zoo in the backyard,” said Sophie Copple, whose backyard is temporarily home to a herd of 35 goats.
WATCH | See how goats and sheep are helping cut down on wildfire fuels
The hillside behind her house is shockingly steep and covered in dense vegetation that needed clearing.
She says a quote from a traditional landscaping company to tackle the job came in at whopping $35,000 — so she called K.C. Shedden and his herd to help.
“It turned out to be just great economically to bring the goats in and so much more fun than having a bunch of landscapers in your backyard,” Copple said.
Shedden has a background in wildfire mitigation and uses goats and sheep he leases from family farms in the Treasure Valley to manage vegetation — often on steep portions of properties which the goats don't mind — before it turns into fuels for fires.
“The goal is to take about 90% of this stuff out of here just for the wildfire mitigation part of it,” Shedden said.
Once the job is done, the property will be much better protected against wildfires.
“After the dry year that we’ve had, we’re just really concerned about anything really — whether that be lightning strikes or fireworks up here, even though they are illegal, it’s just always a concern,” Copple said. “We’ve had a few fires over in the foothills the last few years.”
The herd at Copple’s home is one of four working across the Treasure Valley, with a few sheep lending their talents too. The business has seen such high demand that they're fully booked for the rest of the summer.
“I didn’t realize the popularity that the Goats on the Go business would bring in,” Shedden said. “I was getting probably five to six phone calls a day. I didn’t know there was that big of a need.”
