The BART bestiary expanded by one species this year when a flock of sheep took over fire mitigation duties previously held by their goat cousins, transit agency officials announced Monday.
The sheep, like the goats before them, are employed to devour dried vegetation on BART property in order to reduce the fuels that could feed wildfires.
The goats first made their appearance two years ago and have been replaced by sheep because of the different types of plants the animals prefer — sheep like to eat grasses and short roughage, while goats tend to go for taller woody plants, BART officials said.
“BART has been using goats for a while now, meaning there’s more fine grasses and less brush now,” said Mike Canaday, owner of Living Systems Land Management, the Fresno County company that provides the herds.
The four-legged fire suppressors are considered more beneficial than human crews because they’re more agile and can more easily clear rough terrain, they cost less and don’t use fume-spewing gas-powered mechanical equipment, according to BART.
“Using heavy machinery poses a high risk of fire, too,” said BART Fence and Irrigation Technician Josh Soltero. “We always carried backpacks of water in case something flared up.”
The sheep are munching their way up along the BART tracks from the Berryessa/North San Jose Station and will end their culinary journey at the Pittsburgh/Bay Point Station.
Currently, they’re grazing along the Yellow Line along Springbrook Road in Walnut Creek, BART officials said.
The use of goats and sheep to reduce fire fuels has become increasingly popular among Bay Area agencies in recent years, including the East Bay Regional Parks District, the Oakland Fire Department and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, among others.
…. knowing BART for some reason this may be a baaaaaahd decision
No so. It means that there is at least one person there that has a brain hidden away out of reach of the Board.
…. what QV said… but was also meant with some humor
Dorothy,
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The BART Board of Directors isn’t monolithic. Extremely often, BART Boardmember Debora Allen, District 1, is the lone voice of reason and opposition on matters before the board. Unfortunately, the majority of the 9-seat BART Board is controlled by urban San Francisco County, urban/more urban-like areas of west Alameda County, and west Contra Costa County, while most of us in the suburban, xurbs, and rural areas of east Alameda County and east Contra Costa County are represented by a minority of the board with no power.
.
When I recently attended Congressman Mark DeSaulnier’s “Transportation Town Hall” he said that one of the big problems with BART is that it has an elected Board of Directors, and that transportation agencies run by appointed (and unaccountable) bureaucrats have fewer problems and are better run, based on a study he read. He also said that there are only 3-elected transportation agencies in the US, and they are BART, AC Transit, and the Denver Regional Transportation District. Government bureaucrats aren’t that good at running government programs/agencies and I’m not in favor of losing more voting power in exchange for no vote and a professional bureaucrat run agency. In Concord and the MDUSD we lost 80% of our voting power when we were forced to go to districts.
With overtime pay, the sheep will each make $250k annually…
Knowing Bart’s history, what you said might be true!
Not for nothing, but I remember in history class that cattle ranchers did not like sheep grazing shared fields because sheep chewed straight down to the roots. I don’t know if those hills are in danger of erosion and the ground below subject to flooding, but leaving some vegetation on the hills might be a good thing.
Commuted over Kirker Pass for many decades, when cattle were left grazing too long the next winter there would be slides. Can still see where slides have taken place.
bart thinking ahead . . . . . . . not so much.
I wonder if these sheep are union. Not too many months ago, I recall rep gonzalez wanting to increase the salaries/wages of the Peruvian goatherders up from $4K to $14K, which would destroy that industry (a democrat destroying industry, whodathunk?). So I am suspicious that these sheep are owned by somebody in the know at bart, of these dem pols, and can make a pretty penny replacing the herds. The goats were always eating in the fields that I saw, not limited to trees and bushes, as I watched them (and yes, I liked to watch them).
Mountain Lion menu change.
Can the sheeps and goats clean inside the stations and train cars too?
The sheep are the fleesed passengers Mutton to see… move along .
Sheep? In goat country?!!!
There’s gonna be a range war!
West Slope Story, the musical.
@ORIGINAL G….”When you’re a ram you’re a ram all the way, from your first cigarette to your last dyin’ day…..”
Not a BART rider so I don’t have a steak in this.
Will Mark DeSourair form a task force to provide aid, housing and emergency financial assistance to the unemployed goats?
I’m wondering if this was a racist thing against goats? I think they’ve been more disadvantaged than sheep have been, but who knows the hidden politics behind it all. This must be racist!
Can this landscape maintenance by the goats or sheep be implemented throughout the State to help clean out the forest to prevent fires? Maybe PG&E can use this same strategy.
Just FYI…Young sheep are much tastier than old sheep(mutton), both are tastier than goats, their meat is greasy and stringy.
Fertilizing with all different kinds of plants for next year Great idea.
Ha! Quote of the Day.
“…they cost less and don’t use fume-spewing gas-powered mechanical equipment.”
No, but they expel natural gasses just as we all do. I say we get over this climate crap and get on with our lives. Maybe adopt a sheep. Fill up our combustion engines with fuel and oil and have a damn BBQ. Tired of this in your face BS. With all due respect to those who may or may not agree.
Let’s hear it for the sheep.
Pittsburg has no H.
If you are missing one … and you smell something delicious coming from my kitchen … you’ll know why … hehehe
I wonder how a lamb fed on weeds, poison oak & foxtails is going to taste?
Escaped goats temporarily run amok in Pinole neighborhood
Next time you’re shopping check out the price tags on all the different cuts of lamb.
Outrageously expensive!
Let it rip Doc I never liked lamb. Just paid 18 bucks for two chickens at Costco when I could have bought them already cooked at Costco for five dollars each.
You bought them where?
Not Marrrrrgret! you Baaaaaaaad boy
feeling a little sheepish.