SOUTH PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) — A small herd of goats is helping clean up a park in Maine that is being overrun by an invasive plant.
The herd arrived Wednesday at Yerxa Park along the Greenbelt in South Portland to munch on a dense area of Japanese Knotweed and other invasive plants.
The Parks and Water Resource Protection Departments are trying to improve the underutilized park without using pesticides over the next few years.
The goats will be penned in a low voltage electric fence at the park for about a week to mow down the weeds.
The group plans to use the goats again next spring before covering the weed infested area for several years to kill them. Then the group says it will plant native plants and install benches and a trail.
A recent $15,000 grant from the city's Community Development Block Grant program is helping pay for the venture.