In Littleton, Colorado, just south of Denver, 1,200 new employees have shown up to work along 98 acres of open space.
After a 580-acre Quarry fire in the area this summer, the nearby Waterton Campus of Lockheed Martin turned to a new form of fire mitigation: Over a thousand grazing goats.
The fire got within a mile of the company’s campus, proving to fire mitigation experts that more needed to be done to protect the area. However, the terrain is steep, hard to access, and poses hazards to human teams.
So, they called in reinforcements.
Beginning this month, 1,200 goats from an organization called Goat Green, were brought to the property to graze on vegetation, mitigating the spread of future fires.
“Faster containment is going to be safer for not only for the employees of Lockheed Martin here but really all of the neighboring communities around us as well,” explained Sean Vogel, the VP safety and quality assurance Lockheed Martin, in a statement.
“As you know, fire doesn’t really care about property lines, so we wanted to make sure we’re doing our part to take care of those areas.”
Lockheed Martin is a defense and aerospace contractor that has faced many controversies in its history, especially as it pertains to human rights due diligence and bribery, according to a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2021.
However, with a location in a residential area prone to fires, Jefferson County stakeholders welcome the support in reducing harm from fires for all parts of the community.
“We’re really proud of Lockheed for taking these steps that are so important in the resiliency and the fire resistance that is so badly needed,” Selena Silvas, of South Metro Fire Rescue’s community risk reduction team, said in a statement.
But… how do goats make a difference?
“They eat [the vegetation], recycle it through their gut, and put it back on the hillside,” Goat Green herder Lani Malmberg told Colorado Public Radio.
By keeping vegetation from overgrowing near powerlines, this helps reduce the potential for the risk of wildfires, year-round. It also helps clear a path for firefighters in the event of a blaze.
Plus, the goats act as a weed-control management method totally free of pesticides.
“In the face of climate change with less available water and more deadly wildfires, managed goat herds are an effective wildfire prevention tool with a comparably tiny footprint,” Goat Green’s website shares.
“States from Colorado to California are wisely turning to hungry goats to reduce hazardous fuels to prevent forest fires. Goats have a diverse diet and appetite for all vegetation that makes up the fire fuel ladder. The goats eat and recycle flammable materials in situ to organic matter — or what we like to call ‘pure gold’ that feeds the soil.”
While goats are a great asset to help mitigate future fires, climate change is still a pressing concern. Part of the reason for increased wildfire risks in the Denver area is due to the region’s below-normal rainfall in 2024, which local weather teams recorded as the driest summer in 77 years.
The year prior, however, was an unusually wet season. The combination of the two meant high-growth grasses and brush became dry and easy to ignite, according to CPR.
Vogel said the Littleton area saw “well over a dozen fires in just the last 10 years.”
In a social media post, South Metro Fire Rescue shared that its firefighters have responded to a few small vegetation fires on the company’s campus over the years, as well.
“We have to take fire risks seriously. We should always survey our property — whether it’s this property here, as large as vast and impressive as it is — or it’s your small condo at home,” Silvas added.
“Being a good neighbor is actually an essential part of fire mitigation, so these goats are a wonderful partner to us. They are a tiny part in that continuous mitigation plan.”
The goats are what Goat Green calls “high-tech recycle machines,” providing a number of benefits at once.
In addition to clearing vegetation, their hooves help create healthy soil, aerating the ground and helping to break down nutrients in the soil, which also improves its potential for water retention. Additionally, when goats lay down to sleep or chew, their body heat warms the soil and helps seeds germinate.
While there isn’t a magic wand that can be waved to “fix” the climate crisis, these goats come pretty close to divine intervention.
“I don’t think anything can compare to the efficiency of what a herd of goats does,” Malmberg said in a video for South Metro Fire Rescue. “1,200 goats is 4,800 hooves trampling… and stabilizing the hillside.”
“We’ve been doing this for 30 years,” she added. “We don’t sell for slaughter. These goats have been working for us their entire lives.”
Header image courtesy of South Metro Fire Rescue
