Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and Trees Atlanta Hire Goats to Combat Invasive Ivy

Goats will begin work at future site of Enota Park

Trees Atlanta has teamed up with Get Your Goat, a local company providing shepherd and goat grazing services, to help clear invasive ivy in the future Enota Park. Located between the current Enota Place Playlot and under-construction Westside Trail, the wooded area is currently covered with ivy and kudzu. The goats will be focused on a small area within the future park and are expected to consume that ivy within two weeks. They will begin their work on January 23, 2017.

Neighbors and guests are welcome to visit the goats at any time during park hours (6 a.m. – 11 p.m.). The grazing area will be located adjacent to the playlot to the north and northeast. The goats will be enclosed in an electric pet fence. Signs on the fence will provide safety precautions for spectators. Get Your Goat recommends that dog walkers keep their pets on a leash around the protective fence for safety.

Trees Atlanta will host a Greet the Goats event on January 28, 2017, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. will be notifying the surrounding neighborhoods through a mailing in advance of the goats’ arrival.

Since September 2016, Trees Atlanta and many community partners have been working on a major restoration of Enota Park, a 12-acre greenspace in Southwest Atlanta. Mature hardwood trees, which cover much of the site, are considered a significant asset to the park because they represent a historic grove in a part of the city where tree canopy is spotty. These trees also provide a much-needed buffer to the adjacent I-20 highway borders the park on the north. Unfortunately, invasive species have overtaken much of the area, including high concentrations of privet, kudzu and English ivy.

Trees Atlanta is removing six acres of invasive species, replanting native species to temporarily stabilize slopes and streambanks prior to the full buildout of the park which is being completed by Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. We are thankful to the many volunteers and community organizations who are helping with this important restoration project.

Please note that viewing the goats is only accessible through the Enota Place Playlot. The Westside Trail is currently under construction and the property in between the trail and the Play Lot is privately owned.

Special thanks to sponsors, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Patagonia, for their support of the project.

###

Media contacts:

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
Office of Communications and Media Relations
Ericka Brown Davis, Communications & Media Relations Director
(404) 477-3660, edavis@atlbeltline.org

Trees Atlanta
Karla Vazquez, Communications & Special Events Coordinator
(404) 681-4891, karla@treesatlanta.org

About Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive transportation and economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs currently underway in the United States. The Atlanta BeltLine is a sustainable redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with other public and private organizations, including City of Atlanta departments. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.

About Trees Atlanta

Trees Atlanta is a nationally-recognized nonprofit citizens’ group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving and educating. Since 1985, Trees Atlanta has planted and maintained more than 113,000 trees. For more information about Trees Atlanta, call 404-522-4097 or visit www.treesatlanta.org.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *