The Goats of Haldane High

New mascots munch on invasives species

Chocolate and Chip. 

Those are the names of the goats relocated to the Haldane campus on Sept. 14 by the Habitat Revival Club to clear invasive species from a half-acre plot behind the high school.

The eco-friendly animals will consume unwanted plants such as mugwort, wineberry, callery pear and poison ivy, said Sofia Kelly, a junior who founded the student club and serves as president.

The goats will allow for the expansion next spring of the high school’s pollinator garden. Kelly said the club plans to replace the invasives with coneflowers, bee balm, hyssop, pussy willow, goldenrod, butterfly weed, joe pye weed, yarrow and other native plants.

The project, which cost $4,500, was funded by the Haldane School Foundation and the two boer/nubian goats and a containment fence were provided by Green Goats of Rhinebeck. The firm has worked with nearby colleges like Vassar, Marist and Bard but Haldane is its first high school, said owner Ann Cihanek.   

The goats should have the parcel cleared in about two weeks, Cihanek said. They will probably return in the spring to eat stubborn plants that regrow. 

“Invasive species and invasive plants are a relevant and underrepresented issue,” said Kelly, noting that the club’s mission is to “steward nature.” It has 45 members, including middle schoolers.

Goats are pesticide-free and efficient: They digest the entire plant and don’t poop out seeds, as birds do, Cihanek said. They also don’t mind poison ivy. 

Members of the Habitat Revival Club are keeping the goats supplied with fresh water and visited the elementary school to read Beatrice’s Goat, by Page McBrier, which tells the story of how a goat helped a family in Uganda.

Once the goats were in place, elementary school teachers began leading their classes to the pen. The animals are friendly, but students are not allowed to pet them because their fur usually has oil from poison ivy. The pen has no gate to ensure the animals aren’t accidentally released.

The project has been a year in the making.  After hearing of Kelly’s interest in clearing invasive species, Adam McNeil, the director of facilities, suggested goats because his previous employer, the Croton-Harmon district, had briefly considered the idea. Kelly sent her proposal to the Haldane School Foundation in October.

Green Goats, which has about 100 animals, provides plant removal around the Northeast, including at many New York City parks, the Vanderbilt Mansion and Poets’ Walk Park in Hyde Park and for private clients, including three homeowners in Philipstown.

Cihanek started renting the animals to clear land in 2005. Tragedy struck in 2016 when a barn fire killed all 110 goats. Volunteers rebuilt the structure and helped replace the herd. In the spirit of giving back, Cihanek said she discounted the cost for Haldane by about 40 percent.

Once the project is complete, Kelly hopes to turn her attention to other areas on campus overrun by invasive species, such as a retention pond adjacent to the athletic field.