GTA municipalities using goats to help manage invasive species
Some GTA municipalities, including Toronto and Mississauga, are turning to goats to help manage invasive species around wetlands.
In a news release issued Friday, the City of Mississauga said it became the first municipality in the GTA to implement prescribed grazing using goats as part of a trial during the Invasive Species Awareness Fair at the end of May.
“The City is using prescribed goat grazing, a new and unique approach to managing invasive plant species, to help restore habitats surrounding one of Mississauga’s wetlands,” read a news release issued by the municipality on Friday.
“Prescribed grazing is a method that uses livestock to manage various concerns in habitats that are suited to grazing.”
About 50 goats are being used once again to graze on invasive plant species, including non-native thistles and Common Reed.
“Less than one per cent of Mississauga is made up of wetland habitat, so it’s a priority for the City to protect remaining wetlands. Managing invasive plant species will help restore the wetland at O’Connor Park, creating a better habitat for local wildlife, increasing biodiversity, and improving overall wetland function,” the news release continued.
“Using goats to manage unwanted vegetation and invasive species has many benefits including reducing fuel emissions from trimming equipment, reducing herbicide use and managing areas that are not easily accessible, like slopes.”
Last month, the City of Toronto said it too brought in a specialized ‘eco-herd’ of goats to the meadow at Don Valley Brick Works Park to carry out an “intensive two-day grazing session” to address “woody and invasive plant species.”
“Prescribed grazing represents an opportunity to introduce a new integrative management tool for the City to help maintain the urban meadow ecosystem,” the City of Toronto said on its website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Girl, 15, set on fire in assault at Saskatoon high school: police
A 15-year-old girl was set on fire in an assault at Saskatoon's Evan Hardy Collegiate Thursday afternoon, police say.
A Canadian airline is changing its check-in deadline for all flights. Here's why
Travellers will have to check in 15 minutes earlier than usual according to Air Canada's new cutoff time for all flights.
Man dies after surgeon removed wrong organ at Florida hospital, lawyer says
The lawyer of a woman whose husband died at a Florida hospital says the surgeon removed the wrong organ.
Liberal national campaign director says he will step down
Embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his governing Liberals have taken another hit with Jeremy Broadhurst quitting his job as national campaign director for the party.
Conservative cuts? Party to share platform 'closer to the next election,' Scheer says
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer says Canadians will have to wait until 'closer' to the next federal election to learn about the party's platform.
BREAKING Murder, aggravated assault charges laid in Vancouver stranger attacks
Charges of murder and aggravated assault in a pair of brutal stranger attacks in downtown Vancouver were approved Thursday, one day after the rush-hour rampage left one man dead and another with a severed hand.
Student convicted of killing classmate in Leduc gets life in prison without parole for 12 years
The man who fatally stabbed a classmate at his Leduc high school in 2021 was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 12 years on Thursday.
Italy luxury yacht victims died of 'dry drowning,' first autopsies show
Initial autopsies of four of the seven victims who died when a superyacht sank in a storm in Italy last month show they died of 'dry drowning,' according to authorities.
How will the Bank of Canada's interest rate cuts affect personal finances?
When it comes to interest rates, the worst is over as the Bank of Canada's cuts will give people relief with their personal finances overall, an investment adviser says.