Wichita park has new inhabitants: Goats brought in to clear out brush, poison ivy

Sim Park became the new chomping ground Tuesday for a group being tested to change Wichita’s environment for the better: goats.

The city of Wichita recently announced a pilot program with Restoration Grazing, a land management company that uses goats to graze on areas of thick brush. Tuesday, Restoration Grazing released its first herd on a section of Sim Park.

“It’s whimsical, it’s delightful,” city spokesperson Megan Lovely said of the program. “This is a Tuesday afternoon and all these people came out to see them. I’m really excited for it. Other cities do similar projects, they own their own herds, Denver has a herd of bison, so I’m really excited to try this out.

The city is testing the effectiveness of this eco-friendly solution, which avoids the use of damaging chemicals or equipment. The city will then reevaluate its partnership with Restoration Grazing once the pilot program is over.

Restoration Grazing owner Rex Rutledge called in 130 goats, 60 does and 70 kids, to clear the roughly 5 acres of brush. Though there are some forms of vegetation the goats will avoid, Rutledge said the goats will eat roughly 90% of the brush found in Kansas.

“The idea is the goats will get the bushes and all the grass, all the low-hanging branches and kind of clear it and lift it up a little bit so we can actually see in there a little bit more,” Parks and Recreation Director Troy Houtman said to the Wichita Park Board in April. “That’s just one part of the phase of cleaning it out.”

Rutledge expects the Sim Park project to last somewhere between two and three weeks. The area in first small paddock the goats were released into will likely only take them a day to eat. Then then will move on to the next spot.

“It’s just a real fluid thing,” he said. “These are not machines, they’re not on a time schedule, they lay down when you want. You know, you can’t make them eat.”

The initial goat phase is expected to cost the city roughly $5,000. The next phase would involve clearing out the fallen trees and branches in the park.

While on the job, the goats will stay in Sim Park overnight. They will be protected by electrified netting to ensure no predators get in or grazers get out.

“They’re livestock, they do just fine,” Rutledge said. “They can stay out in the rain, they can mingle with insects, whatever other animals are out here. I try and do a little recon around the areas I put them in to make sure there’s not any sort of, like, coyote dens that I’m gonna be fencing in, but other than that they do just fine.”

This electrified fence is not strong enough to be a serious danger to children or pets, Rutledge told The Eagle last month. Additionally, signs will be posted to warn of the fences and explain the project.

“I’ve never had anything break through this fence before,” he said. “My goats have never gotten out. Fingers crossed that continues.”

This is Rutledge’s first city contract since he started Restoration Grazing in March 2022. He hopes to continue working with the city past this project.

“This is definitely the most people I’ve had for a goat unload,” Rutledge said. “Most of the time, I’m in some random backyard in town or out on a property in the middle of nowhere.”

Rutledge said he does not want anyone to enter the fence and interact with the goats while he is not present, though there are plans to organize and advertise a meet-and-greet for the animals.

“They’re not pets, they’re livestock; they’ve got a job to do.” he said. “They serve as entertainment from a distance. That’s how they like it too.”

“I like to have faith that people are gonna more or less do the right thing,” Rutledge said. “I’m gonna come out here and spend time, try to talk to people. You know, I feel like if people see me and meet me and see that I’m just another guy just trying to make his business work that hopefully they’ll have a little humanity and, you know, not try to sabotage what I’ve got going on here.”

Rutledge said he hopes the goats will educate citizens on the importance of grazing and eco-friendly solutions. Part of his mission, he said, is to teach the importance of his work.

“Hopefully some people will learn a little bit about the ecology and the goats and the plants they’re grazing and the effects that they have on the land because I think it’s important for people to know. This is part of the world,” he said. “To me it’s just a shame that we only go toward our sharp blades and chemicals now, and I think that this could be a life saver for a lot of people.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 3:00 PM.