San Anselmo welcomes grazing goats, sheep for fire safety

San Anselmo has endorsed a habitat-sensitive plan to unleash goats and sheep on certain hillsides to help manage fire-prone vegetation.

The project, which has become common practice in the areas of Sorich Park, Hawthorne Canyon and Red Hill Community Park since the 2017 North Bay fires, was almost put on pause this summer. The town’s Open Space Committee was concerned that the grazing was damaging flora and fauna, and in some instances creating new fire hazards.

The committee recommended that the Town Council hold off on releasing the grazers until a botanical analysis could be completed. That would have allowed the town to track the impact of the vegetation eaters, they said.

“There are needs for management around fire fuels and protecting homes and public facilities, but we do have a big responsibility to these properties, these lands that we own and hold in stewardship,” Jonathan Braun, a committee member, told the council at its May 23 meeting.

“Under the past practices that has been implemented in our open space, there has been damage,” he said. He added that in a steep section in the Hawthorne Canyon area, the bare soil is exposed after aggressive grazing.

Sean Condry, director of public works, told the council that fire protection and prevention is a key focus in San Anselmo and across Marin.

“Especially given today’s climate changes, we have drought, significant drought; we’ve had heavy rain,” Condry said. “This is something that I think is important for the town to continue, and it’s something that I feel is an ongoing need.”

In response to concerns, Condry said workers have wrapped trees to prevent girdling that happens when the goats eat the bark.

In addition, the plan will feature a new herd: a mix of female goats and sheep. Wether goats, which are castrated males, were used in the past. They tend to graze more aggressively, and the new herd will be less invasive, said Bianca Soares, project manager of Star Creek Land Stewards, the company that leases the animals.

The town also plans to create boundaries to keep the herd away from riparian habitat and other sensitive areas, Condry said.

As a compromise with the Open Space Committee, the Town Council directed staff to ensure that a botanical survey was part of an upcoming open space management plan.

Mayor Steve Burdo said that through the process, the members of the Open Space Committee were simply asking to be informed when projects affecting the natural space were happening in town.

Burdo said that communication is now happening, “and I want to make sure that it continues.”

Councilmember Alexis Fineman praised the herd supplier for its willingness to adapt to the program.

“And I think that is really the best possible outcome here is just really strong communication between folks who are quite familiar with the site,” Fineman said

Vice Mayor Eileen Burke said she believes the professionals working on the project know what they’re doing.

“I feel confident that we’re striking a balance of safety in terms of limiting fire risk and safety of our firefighters and protecting the environment,” Burke said.

The prescribed grazing costs about $30,000.